Vertebroplasty – Minimally invasive stabilization of the spine

The procedure is performed under local or general anesthesia. The patient lies on his or her stomach during the procedure. We insert a vertebroplasty needle through the skin into the body of the vertebra and inject “bone cement.” The cement hardens, stabilizes the fracture and supports the spine. The whole insertion process is monitored by X-ray.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Vertebroplasty is minimally invasive.
• It leads to a rapid pain relief.
• Complications occur only very rarely (<1% of procedures).

Course of treatment

Treatment starts with the diagnosis and the decision to use minimally invasive methods. After discussing this with you during a consultation, we will schedule a timely appointment, which is in keeping with the urgency of your case and your special wishes.

The treatment requires a hospital stay of two to three days. You will arrive the morning before the procedure and we will assess your status and make the final preparations. We will use this opportunity to answer any questions you might have. On the day of the procedure, you will be taken from the ward to one of our two operating rooms, where the surgical team will meet you and perform the intervention.

Aftercare

Immediately after the procedure, we will examine you to make sure everything went well. We will then transfer you to a specialized monitoring ward where you will be cared for and monitored for several hours. On the following day, you will undergo a magnetic resonance examination to assess the surgical outcome and rule out any complications. Usually, you will then return to the standard ward and after another one or two days you will consult with a specialist and can then go home. During this last consultation, we will schedule appointments for further check-ups.