title: Balloon Kyphoplasty for Refractory Vertebral Compression Fractures in a Growing Child With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy With Five-Year Follow-Up: Case Report and Review of Literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Presentation of previously unreported results and 5-year follow-up of balloon kyphoplasty used to treat an 8-year-old patient with refractory vertebral compression fractures resulting from 3 years of corticosteroid treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Long-term corticosteroid treatment in patients with DMD has been used to try and improve muscle strength, prolong ambulation, and lower the prevalence of scoliosis. However, these patients have an increased risk of osteoporosis and vertebral fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patient was an 8-year-old boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who had received corticosteroid treatment for 3 years, with refractory vertebral compression fractures at T11, L1, and L3. Balloon kyphoplasty was performed at the 3 vertebral bodies using careful technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient achieved immediate pain relief after the procedure. The height of the treated vertebrae remained stable without further collapse over a 5-year follow-up period. At 5-year follow-up, the patient developed 2 new vertebral compression fractures at T12 and L2 adjacent to the treated vertebrae. The treatment also did not affect the growth of the treated vertebrae or the patient's overall growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because the procedure resulted in rapid stabilization of the treated vertebrae, effective analgesia, and no effect on the growth of the treated vertebrae over a 5-year follow-up period, balloon kyphoplasty was a good therapeutic option for this pediatric patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, 711 West College Street, Suite 625, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA.
authors.forename: Jan William
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: California Spine, 711 West College Street, Suite 625, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA. Electronic address: rbailey@jhsph.edu.
authors.forename: Richard Anthony
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bailey
keywords: Adjacent level fracture; Balloon kyphoplasty; Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Osteoporosis; Vertebral compression fracture