[Vertebral Body Height after Balloon Kyphoplasty vs. Radiofrequency Kyphoplasty]

Kyphoplasty is used to alleviate pain and to restore the initial height of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF). One of the most recent procedures is radiofrequency-targeted vertebral augmentation (RFTVA). We investigated whether restoration with this method is similar and as adequate as with the established procedure of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP), as assessed by the anatomical height of the vertebral body. The aim of our study was to compare the intravertebral angles (base-endplate) post- and preoperatively with these two procedures.

The base and endplate angles were measured on 142 vertebral bodies treated by kyphoplasty (67 BKP and 75 RFTVA), on the basis of pre- and postoperative X-rays in the upright position in 87 volunteers (46 BKP and 41 RFTVA). The main object was to detect the degree of correction (Δpost-preop) with BKP compared to RFTVA. Furthermore, the sagittal alignment of the adjacent heathy levels were measured.

Significant correction was detected with both BKP (BKPpre: 11.5 ± 6.0°, BKPpost: 6.2 ± 4.6°, p < 0.001) and RFTVA (RFTVApre: 9.9 ± 6.2°, RFTVApost: 6.3 ± 4.4°, p < 0.001). Potential correction was greater with BKP than with RFTVA (Δpost-pre BKP: - 5.3 ± 4.4°, Δpost-pre RFK: - 3.6 ± 4.4°, p = 0.03). Neither procedures gave a significant change in the sagittal angle in the adjacent segment (segment BKPpre: 13.8 ± 8.0°, Segment BKPpost: 12.5 ± 9,2°, p = 0.638; Segment RFTVApre: 18,8 ± 14,3°, Segment RFTVApost: 15.0 ± 13.2°, p = 0.330).

BKP gave significantly better correction, even though both methods were able to restore significant improvement in the kyphotic angle. In the adjacent levels, correction of the sagittal angle was not significant, although the influence of the intervention on alignment tended to be less.