Balloon augmentation

Back pain is a common complaint in health care. Kyphoplasty is a relatively simple procedure for treating common causes of back pain. Common indications include intractable pain from compression fractures and metastatic lesions. It can be performed safely on an outpatient basis by a range of specialists. The provider needs access to a fluoroscopic machine to obtain visualization of the spine and equipment to perform the procedure. Kyphoplasty allows for treatment of pain with radiographic evidence of improvement in vertebral body height and kyphotic angle. Current research is evaluating widening indications and subtle nuances of technique.