Over a million new vertebral crush fractures (VCF) occur each year in the U.S, mostly as a result of osteoporosis, tumors, hemangiomas and trauma. Commonly treated with analgesia and calcitonin, other treatment options exist, such as bone cement fillers and balloon kyphoplasty. Kyphoplasty requires minimally invasive surgery to insert a balloon catheter in to the cancellous part of the collapsed vertebral body, inflating it to restore anatomical deformity, and then filling the defect with bone cement. It has been shown to significantly reduce pain and increase ambulation.
The latest press release by DFine Inc. details a novel technique for VCF treatment with company’s proprietary polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) formulated cement that responds to radiofrequency application to effect changes in the cement’s viscosity. This allows for a one step, single injection site procedure that reduces physician exposure to radiation from fluoroscopy.
From the press release:
The physician can change the bone cement viscosity on demand, delivering an ultra-high viscosity, yet flowable, cement that forms an internal cast for stabilizing the fracture. The process can yield height elevation of the collapsed vertebrae while minimizing leakage of bone cement (extravasation).
“The use of radiofrequency energy to give physicians the ability to control the viscosity of cement is novel and beneficial to both the physician and the patient,” said Kieran J. Murphy, M.D., director of interventional neuroradiology at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. “The ability to minimize the leakage of bone cement is a large safety benefit I can present to my patients, providing them peace of mind in combination with much needed pain relief and improved quality of life.”
The StabiliT Vertebral Augmentation System enables simultaneous cavity creation and filling. At the same time, the high viscosity of the cement may address the patient’s fracture(s) with greater specificity through localized delivery of cement to compromised structures, providing a level of physician control of the cement that leads to optimized results for the patient.
Check out this DFINE technology video presentation…
DFine Technology Website…
Press release: DFine Launches StabiliT™ Vertebral Augmentation System and StabiliT™ ER Bone Cement at NASS…
Kyphon Inflatable Bone Tamps…