Interdisciplinary approach to balloon kyphoplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are associated with a series of clinical consequences leading to increased morbidity and even mortality. Early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention is desirable in order to remobilise patients and prevent further bone loss. Not all fractures are, however, sufficiently treatable by conservative measures. Here, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty may provide immediate pain relief by minimally invasive fracture stabilisation. In cases of acute fractures, kyphoplasty has the potential to reduce kyphosis and restore the normal sagittal alignment of the spine. The complex nature of systemic osteoporosis, coupled with the intricate biomechanics of vertebral fractures, leads to a clinical setting which is ideally treated interdisciplinarily by the rheumatologist and spine surgeon.