Balloon Kyphoplasty

MountainView Regional Medical Center is proud to introduce a new, minimally invasive treatment option for patients suffering from spinal fractures due to osteoporosis

In the U.S. each year 700,000 patients suffer from spinal fractures due to osteoporosis. Unfortunately, over 400,000 of these fractures go undiagnosed and untreated due in part to lack of awareness about osteoporosis and available treatment options, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation

The therapy, called Balloon Kyphoplasty, is designed to stabilize fractures due to osteoporosis. This treatment reduces back pain, significantly improving mobility, and increasing overall quality of life. The procedure can be done using either local or general anesthesia and has a low complication rate.

“Balloon kyphoplasty generally takes less than one hour per fracture,” said Dr. Brett Henderson, Neurosurgeon. “In properly selected patients, the procedure results in significant pain relief and reduction in the number of days per month that a patient remains in bed.”

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones of the spine to weaken and often collapse, resulting in spinal fractures. One in two women and one in four men age 50 and older in the United States will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

The current incidence rate has caused the World Health Organization to cite osteoporosis as second only to cardiovascular disease as a leading international healthcare problem. For a consultation concerning treatment options for a spinal fracture, please contact Dr. Brett Henderson at (505) 532-9755.