Outsmarting Osteoporosis
Outsmarting Osteoporosis
The cement is strong and "fills the bad spot in the bone," he says. Some investigators now are trying to mix chemotherapy with the cement and administer them via vertebroplasty as a way of treating cancer in the bone. For patients with osteoporosis, calcium, hormones, or drugs may be added to the mix. The risk of complications or side effects is "extremely small when this is done by a properly trained doctor," says Zoarski.
The second procedure, spine balloon therapy, is similar to vertebroplasty, but before the cement is injected, a tiny balloon is passed through the needle and inflated, which further stabilizes the broken bone. It takes a little longer than vertebroplasty and requires general anesthesia, so it must be done in a hospital.
John M. Mathis, MD, chairman of the radiology group at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem, Va., points out that this technique may be better suited for more severely ill patients who have suffered loss in height. He recommends that the procedure be done as soon after the break as possible, since the bone is more adaptable during this period.
People with osteoporosis may break vertebrae following a minor event such as coughing, rolling in bed, or simply "making a funny move." Because such occurrences don't stand out in the patient's mind, the fracture may go undiagnosed for several weeks. Mathis warns people who experience persistent pain and tenderness around the spine after a relatively minor trauma to see their doctor as soon as possible and be X-rayed. "If you do have a compression fracture, consider this as a possible therapy."
Outsmarting Osteoporosis
The cement is strong and "fills the bad spot in the bone," he says. Some investigators now are trying to mix chemotherapy with the cement and administer them via vertebroplasty as a way of treating cancer in the bone. For patients with osteoporosis, calcium, hormones, or drugs may be added to the mix. The risk of complications or side effects is "extremely small when this is done by a properly trained doctor," says Zoarski.
The second procedure, spine balloon therapy, is similar to vertebroplasty, but before the cement is injected, a tiny balloon is passed through the needle and inflated, which further stabilizes the broken bone. It takes a little longer than vertebroplasty and requires general anesthesia, so it must be done in a hospital.
John M. Mathis, MD, chairman of the radiology group at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem, Va., points out that this technique may be better suited for more severely ill patients who have suffered loss in height. He recommends that the procedure be done as soon after the break as possible, since the bone is more adaptable during this period.
People with osteoporosis may break vertebrae following a minor event such as coughing, rolling in bed, or simply "making a funny move." Because such occurrences don't stand out in the patient's mind, the fracture may go undiagnosed for several weeks. Mathis warns people who experience persistent pain and tenderness around the spine after a relatively minor trauma to see their doctor as soon as possible and be X-rayed. "If you do have a compression fracture, consider this as a possible therapy."
