Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty

Kyphoplasty treats a painful vertebral compression fracture by inserting a small balloon into the collapsed vertebra through a needle, inflating it to create a cavity, and filling the cavity with bone cement. Vertebroplasty injects cement without the balloon step. Both stabilise the broken bone from inside.

Many patients get rapid pain relief and mobilise sooner. Trials comparing vertebroplasty with sham procedures gave mixed results, so it is reserved for fractures that remain very painful, and it does not treat the osteoporosis that caused the break.

What Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty involves

MRI with a fluid-sensitive (STIR) sequence confirms that the fracture is recent and unhealed, shown by bone marrow oedema; a bone scan is the alternative if you cannot have MRI. You lie face down on a padded frame. Under X-ray guidance from two directions, the surgeon passes one or two hollow needles through small skin nicks and the pedicles into the vertebral body. A biopsy can be taken if a tumour is suspected. The balloon is inflated under pressure monitoring to lift the collapsed endplate and compact the surrounding bone, then withdrawn. Thick, toothpaste-like acrylic cement (PMMA) is injected slowly under continuous X-ray view until the cavity is filled, typically 3 to 6 millilitres, stopping if it approaches the back wall or veins. The cement sets in about 10 minutes.

Who is a good candidate for Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty?

It is for a particular group: people with a fresh fracture whose pain stops them functioning despite proper medical treatment.

• Osteoporotic compression fracture with severe pain after 3 to 6 weeks of analgesia and gentle mobilisation
• People hospitalised or bed-bound by fracture pain
• Fracture confirmed as active on MRI
• Painful vertebral collapse from myeloma or metastasis, often together with radiotherapy
• Fracture age ideally under about 3 months

It is usually not the right choice if:

• Old healed fractures without oedema on MRI
• Fracture fragments pushed into the spinal canal with nerve compression, which need open surgery
• Infection in the spine or bloodstream
• Uncorrectable bleeding disorder
• Pain that is already improving with time

Technique options

• Balloon kyphoplasty: Creates a cavity and may restore some height; lower cement leak rate.
• Vertebroplasty: Simpler and quicker; cement injected directly into the bone.
• Vertebral body stent or implant systems: Expandable devices left in place to hold height in selected fractures.
• Combined with radiofrequency tumour ablation: For painful metastases.

What happens during your treatment

It takes 30 to 60 minutes per level under local anaesthetic with sedation, or general anaesthesia. Afterwards you lie flat for 1 to 2 hours, then stand and walk. It is a day case or one night. Many patients notice that the deep fracture pain has eased by the same evening, leaving needle site soreness for a few days.

Preparing for your trip

Plan for 4 to 7 days in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.

• Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
• Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
• Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
• Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly

Recovery and results

Normal light activity resumes within days; avoid bending, twisting and lifting more than a few kilograms for 6 weeks. The more important part is what follows: a bone density scan, blood tests for secondary causes and osteoporosis medication, because without it about 1 in 5 people have another vertebral fracture within a year. Physiotherapy for posture and balance reduces falls.

• Back to everyday activity: A few days
• When results show: Often within 24 to 48 hours
• How long they last: Cement is permanent; new fractures possible

Safety, risks and revision policy

Serious complications are rare, under 1 percent in osteoporotic fractures, but they matter.

• Cement leak outside the vertebra, common on imaging and usually without symptoms
• Cement reaching the spinal canal or nerve exit with pain or weakness, rarely needing surgery
• Cement travelling to the lungs through veins (embolism)
• New fracture in a neighbouring vertebra
• Infection or bleeding
• Rib fracture from lying prone in fragile patients
• Little or no pain relief

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• Number of vertebrae treated
• Kyphoplasty balloons and kits versus simple vertebroplasty
• Anaesthesia type and overnight stay
• MRI and bone density testing

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

Frequently Asked Questions