Physicians reassured over kyphoplasty spinal injury treatmentRSS Feed

Treating spinal injury fractures by balloon kyphoplasty helps to reduce patient pain significantly, it has been claimed.

However, the number of referrals for the procedure have dropped off, according to Dr Angelo Malamis of the North American Spine Society.

He believes that this is the result of two controversial studies, published in 2009 in the New England Journal of Medicine, which suggested that the procedure was no better than a placebo treatment in terms of reducing spinal injury pain and disability.

However, Dr Malamis indicated that these findings have since been disputed by two medical societies.

He explained: "We're missing opportunities for patients to receive a safe and effective treatment that can significantly reduce their pain and disability."

Dr Malamis also pointed out that kyphoplasty can also reduce the risk of subsequent fractures by improving the angle and height of the spine.

His comments follow the decision by the Society of Interventional Radiology last month to throw its support behind a vertebroplasty treatment for spinal injury.

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