ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: An increasing life expectancy is often accompanied by a possible increase of vertebral fractures. If operative therapy is necessary, open procedures might be problematic for elderly patients. In this case, balloon kyphoplasty might be an alternative. METHODS: We present our prospective data of 30 patients with an average age of 72 years (range 65-82). The patients suffered from isolated thoracic and lumbar fractures (T6-L4) without neurological deficits and were operated on with balloon kyphoplasty. They were followed up an average of 13 months after surgery. RESULTS: Before surgery, the patients' average kyphotic angle was 12 degrees . After reduction with balloon kyphoplasty, this angle was significantly improved to 7 degrees , and at follow-up it was 8 degrees . Back pain, which was determined by a visual analogous scale, showed a significant reduction from 8.2 to 2.6 points at follow-up. No significant relationship between preoperative pain and improvement of the kyphotic angle could be found. Patients with a bad fracture reposition showed significantly more pain at follow-up. However, there was no difference between the reference group and the examined patients' quality of life regarding general health. CONCLUSION: Recent fractures of the thoracic or lumbar spine in elderly patients treated by balloon kyphoplasty showed good early results.
