Kyphon Inflatable Bone Tamps
Vertebroplasty is a commonly used method of addressing vertebral compression fractures by injecting a bone cement called methylmethacrylate into them. The cement not only “glues” fracture fragments together, but also destroys pain fibers within the bone by releasing heat while setting.
Kyphon (Sunnyvale, CA) revolutionized the treatment of vertebral compression fractures by introducing a procedure called “kyphoplasty”, in which a balloon or an “inflatable bone tamp”, is used to expand, or “reduce”, the fracture before the bone cement is introduced. Since their introduction, Kyphon IBTs have undergone several changes making them suitable for a wide variety of fracture configurations. We use them exclusively for all of our kyphoplasty procedures.