Question
My wife suffered a crushed vertebrae about 5 1/2 months ago. This is similar to the question Paul submitted on 3/27/07, but his was 6 years old.
 In your answer to Paul you said that something could have been done if addressed when the fracture was fresh.  Your answer was, "Unfortunately the crushed vertebra needed to be fixed when the injury was fresh.  There are surgical procedures where they can actually inflate the crushed vertebral body and fill it with a cement like substance or pieces of crushed cadaver bone which would have given you a much better resolution."  
 My question is "Is a 5 1/2 month old fracture still fresh enough for the inflate and fill procedure?"  

Richard


Answer
Dear Richard,

Unfortunately, I do not think that your wife is a candidate for vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty.  Fractures usually take anywhere from 6-10 weeks to heal and stabilize.  The expansion procedure for fixing a compression fracture of the vertebra should take place within the first month of the injury.

Now, there may be some newer procedures that I am not aware of, but I don't think she is a candidate.  The best way to explore your options is by consulting with an orthopedic surgeon or interventional radiologist.  These are the doctors who routinely perform the vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty surgery.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net