Latest Kyphoplasty Stories

A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that relief of pain from vertebral compression fractures, as well as improvement in pain-related dysfunction, were similar in patients treated with vertebroplasty and those treated with simulated vertebroplasty without cement injections. The article, "A Randomized Controlled Trial of Vertebroplasty for Osteoporotic Spine Fractures," was released today in the New England Journal of Medicine.Vertebroplasty is a widely applied...

Vesselplasty, a new minimally invasive procedure, increases mobility and reduces pain and the need for pain killers in patients with vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), according to a study performed at the Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, Spain. Vesselplasty is a new alternative to vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty"”two conventional VCF treatment methods. Vesselplasty solves the problem of leakage of cement out of the vertebral body which can happen during both...

Three Minnesota hospitals will settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleges the HealthEast sites defrauded Medicare by overcharging for surgical procedures. The hospitals in the St. Paul, Minn., area will pay a $2.28 million to the federal government to settle the Medicare fraud lawsuit filed by whistleblowers Craig Patrick and Chuck Bates, attorneys for the whistleblowers said in a news release Thursday. The lawsuit filed by the former Kyphon Inc. workers alleges an unspecified number of...

ST. PAUL, Minn., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Three HealthEast hospitals in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area have agreed to pay the federal government a total of $2.28 million to settle a whistleblower ("qui tam") lawsuit alleging Medicare fraud involving a certain type of spinal surgery known as kyphoplasty. The Minnesota hospitals are the first hospitals to settle charges stemming from a government investigation into Medicare fraud involving billing for kyphoplasty. The whistleblower lawsuit,...

Patients with balloon kyphoplasty showed more improvement in back function and back pain compared with those with non-surgical care, Scottish researchers say. Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment used worldwide to treat vertebral compression fractures caused by osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Dr. Douglas Wardlaw, the spine surgeon who was the lead author, said the study of 300 patients at 21 centers in eight countries also determined that the benefits of balloon...

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- DFine, Inc., a developer of minimally invasive solutions for treating vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), has secured a $30 million round of investment in its Series D funding led by BBT Fund LP and Highland Capital Management. Other investors include Prospect Venture Partners and Vanguard Ventures. DFine is dedicated to developing treatments for VCFs that relieve pain and improve quality of life for patients. More than 700,000 new VCFs occur...

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the U.S. launch of the Discyphor Direct(TM) Catheter System, the second-generation catheter system used by physicians to obtain additional information to diagnose discogenic low back pain. The Discyphor Direct Catheter System provides additional information to help identify which disc is causing a patient's pain. More than 100,000 patients annually undergo spinal surgery for discogenic low back pain in the United States(1), but patient...

A U.S. health newsletter says the rounding of the back resulting in the appearance of a hump -- kyphosis -- can be prevented. Mayo Health Letter explains kyphosis is caused in older adults by thinning bones fracturing, usually in the vertebrae in the part of the spine supporting the shoulders, arm and trunk. These multiple compression fractures can reduce a person's height, but may also curve the spine and result in what looks like a hump. Stooped posture due to compression fractures adds...

By Andrew Smith, The Brunswick News, Ga. Jul. 8--With an increasing elderly population in America, osteoporosis poses a major threat for an estimated 44 million people. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimated 10 million individuals in the United States have the disease, almost 34 million more may have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Not only does osteoporosis cause back pain and stooped posture, it also causes more then 700,000 spinal fractures...

Dr. Robert Waldrip, orthopedic spine surgeon, today announced the grand opening of the Desert Mirage Medical Plaza and the Desert Mirage Surgery Center in Surprise, Arizona. The new facility offers minimally invasive procedures including vertebroplasty, a treatment for those who suffer from vertebral compression fractures due to osteoporosis, trauma or metastatic disease. Dr. Waldrip, whose practice is focused on the spine, has been located in the Phoenix area for more than 23 years and...