Vertebroplasty — Osteoporotic & Pathological Fractures

📊 Key Facts at a Glance

• 80–90% pain relief within 24–48 hours
• 1-night hospitalization

📖 What is vertebroplasty?

Vertebroplasty is the percutaneous injection of bone cement (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA) into a fractured vertebral body. It stabilises the fracture, provides immediate pain relief in 80–90% of patients within 24–48 hours, and prevents further collapse.

At Cochin AP-HP, vertebroplasty is performed under local anaesthesia for thoracic and lumbar levels, or under general anaesthesia for cervical vertebrae or complex cases. Most patients are discharged the same day or after one night.

🎯 Indications

• Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures — acute or subacute (< 6 weeks), refractory to analgesics
• Pathological fractures from bone metastases — pain palliation and stabilisation
• Vertebral haemangioma — symptomatic or aggressive type
• Multiple myeloma — vertebral involvement with pain

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