page_title: Vertebral augmentation
section_title: Kyphoplasty
hierarchical_section_title: Vertebral augmentation / Procedure / Kyphoplasty
caption_attribution_description: English: A plain Xray of a person who has undergone vertebroplasty
context_page_description: Vertebral augmentation, which includes vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, are similar spinal procedures in which bone cement is injected through a small hole in the skin into a fractured vertebra to try to relieve back pain caused by a vertebral compression fractures.
  These procedures have been found to not be effective in treating osteoporosis-related compression fractures of the spine. The patients in both the experimental and placebo groups reported improvement in their pain, suggesting that the benefit is related to the placebo effect.
context_section_description: Kyphoplasty is a variation of a vertebroplasty which attempts to restore the height and angle of kyphosis of a fractured vertebra (of certain types), followed by its stabilization using injected bone cement. The procedure typically includes the use of a small balloon that is inflated in the vertebral body to create a void within the cancellous bone prior to cement delivery.  Once the void is created, the procedure continues in a similar manner as a vertebroplasty, but the bone cement is typically delivered directly into the newly created void.
  In a 2011 review Medicare contractor NAS determined that there is no difference between vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, stating, "No clear evidence demonstrates that one procedure is different from another in terms of short- or long-term efficacy, complications, mortality or any other parameter useful for differentiating coverage."
caption: Cement in a vertebra as seen on plain Xray.
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