Denton County Living Well Magazine January/February 2021 | Page 33

Finding Relief From Excruciating Spine Fractures Thanks to Balloons and Cement

Courtesy MEDTRONIC

Sharon first noticed the pain in her back one day . “ I thought I had a sprain , you know , ‘ It ’ ll go away ,’” says the 72 year old grandmother from Fort Worth . Then one night she rolled over in bed and felt a pop . “ I waited a while . I just thought the pain would go away , and it didn ’ t .”

Sharon eventually went to the emergency room at Harris Methodist Hospital , and doctors did some tests that found the cause of her pain : multiple myeloma , a type cancer that attacks the bone marrow . She had pathological fractures in two of the vertebral bodies of her spine — in other words , a broken back . Sharon was treated for her cancer with chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant , and she took opiod pain medication for the lingering pain in her back .
“ I still had the pain . It just didn ’ t go away ,” she recalls . “ There was a lot I couldn ’ t do . Just bending or rolling over in bed was a major ordeal .” Once Sharon was in remission , doctors referred Sharon to Dr . Irfan Ali in Flower Mound . Ali recommended a minimally invasive surgical procedure called Balloon Kyphoplasty to repair her damaged spine and relieve her pain .
Balloon Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of spinal fractures due to osteoporosis , cancer , or non-cancerous tumors . Guided by live imaging , Ali created two tiny openings in Sharon ’ s back at each fractured level and used a needle to insert a tiny balloon into the damaged vertebra . He then inflated the balloon to restore the original height of the vertebrae . Finally , he injected acrylic bone cement into the cavity left by the balloon , creating an internal cast to repair the fractures .
After the procedure , which takes typically less than an hour , Sharon was able to leave the hospital and go home the same day . “ She ’ s doing great ,” Ali says . Sharon says she no longer takes pain medication for her back . “ By the next day , where the fracture was , I could tell a difference there . It was just a true blessing .” She was even able to attend her grandson ’ s junior high football game the night of the procedure .
“ I asked Dr . Ali , and he said if I felt like it , I could ,” Sharon says . “ So I went home and changed my clothes and went to the football game that night . As a matter of fact , I usually would try to find a place down low in the stadium so I wouldn ’ t have to climb steps , but this time I went all the way up and sat halfway up in the bleachers , so that was really nice !”
Medtronic developed balloon kyphoplasty , a minimally invasive procedure that reduces and stabilizes VCF related to osteoporosis , cancer or non-cancerous tumors . Since the initial technology launched in 1998 , Medtronic has developed better balloons , an improved cement delivery system and added access tools shown to reduce hand radiation exposure for the surgeon . Over the years , studies comparing balloon kyphoplasty to non-surgical management have shown balloon kyphoplasty produced better pain relief and quality of life for patients with acute VCF compared to patients treated with non-surgical management .
Although the complication rate for BKP is low , as with most surgical procedures , serious adverse events , some of which can be fatal , can occur , including heart attack , cardiac arrest , stroke , and embolism . Other risks include infection ; leakage of bone cement into the muscle and tissue surrounding the spinal cord and nerve injury that can , in rare instances , cause paralysis ; leakage of bone cement into the blood vessels resulting in damage to the blood vessels , lungs , and / or heart .
Talk to your doctor about both benefits and risks of this procedure . A prescription is required . Results may vary . For more information , please call Medtronic at 763-505-5000 and / or consult Medtronic ’ s website at www . medtronic . com or spine-facts . com .
Fractured Vertebra
Normal Vertebra
The following testimonial contains the opinions of and personal surgical techniques practiced by Irfan Ali , M . D . The opinions and techniques presented herein are for information purposes only and the decision of which techniques to use in a particular surgical application should be made by the surgeon based on the individual facts and circumstances of the patient and previous surgical experience .
Kyphoplasty Balloons
DENTON COUNTY • 31