Kyphoplasty

Kyphoplasty is performed to repair a collapsed vertebra, which form everyone's spinal canal.

Over time they can fracture and break.

Aubrey Okpaku, MD

"In the kyphoplasty procedure, we insert a tiny balloon to expand the vertebra to the right shape and then fill that space with bone cement to restore the height and strength," said Aubrey Okpaku, MD, a Southcoast neurosurgeon. "Another procedure, vertebralplasty, involves just the injection of cement into the vertebra to restore height and strength.

"These procedures are often done on an outpatient basis and are a great solution for some people who have back pain because of a compression fracture."

Years ago, the idea of having surgery to the spine was quite frightening to people, Dr. Okpaku said. It meant a long stay in the hospital, a lot of pain and a long time recovering.

"These days, with our new procedures, all of that has been reduced significantly. Recovery time is much shorter, pain is less and patients return to work and play that much faster.

All of these advanced options are available right here at Southcoast.

Watch our TV spot featuring patient Rita Pildis. [Click on the image above to view the TV spot in QuickTime, 7.2 MB]

"When a patient comes here for spine surgery, they are getting a team of specialists, all of whom are dedicated to their well-being," Dr. Okpaku said. "While some may perform surgery on the spine, others help afterward with recovery and rehabilitation, helping patients.

"We have dedicated surgeons, dedicated OR staff, dedicated nurses and rehab specialists — all here to help patients get their strength back and their joy of life back."

Links & Resources

Procedure information on Kyphoplasty from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Kyphoplasty spine surgery interactive video from Spine-Health.com.

Procedure information on Kyphoplasty from the Internet Society of Orthopaedic Surgery & Trauma.