title: Balloon kyphoplasty for vertebra plana with or without osteonecrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare efficacy of balloon kyphoplasty in restoring vertebral height and correcting kyphosis in patients having vertebra plana with or without osteonecrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  12 women and 3 men (mean age, 76 years), who had a complete vertebra plana with or without osteonecrosis (n=8 vs n=7), underwent balloon kyphoplasty. No external manoeuvres were performed before or during balloon kyphoplasty, except for positioning the patients in a prone posture on the operating table. The anterior, middle, and posterior vertebral height and the kyphotic angle were measured pre- and post-operatively with a digital imaging system. The vertebral height was measured as a percentage of the adjacent normal vertebral height.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respectively in vertebra plana patients with or without osteonecrosis, the mean corrections of (1) kyphosis were 10 and 4 degrees (p=0.099), (2) anterior vertebral height were 33% and 5% (p<0.001), (3) middle vertebral height were 38% and 18% (p=0.004), and (4) posterior vertebral height were 19% and 2% (p=0.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with vertebra plana, it is important to identify any osteonecrosis, which is an indication for balloon kyphoplasty to restore vertebral height and correct kyphosis.
authors.affiliation: Spine Center, Orthopaedic Hospital Vienna-Speising, Vienna, Austria. stephan.becker@oss.at
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tuschel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chavanne
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D050815:Fractures, Compression / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery*