The Sky bone expander system in treatment of osteoporotic compression fractures of vertebral body

Objective To study a new method of kyphoplasty( Sky bone expander system) used to treat the osteoporotic compression fractures of vertebral body. Methods 74 patients with 87 vertebrae were retrospectively analyzed who had been treated with the Sky bone expander system. Based on the Genant' s grading system, 29 vertebrae were rated as Grade One, 41 Grade Two and 17 Grade Three. Both kyphoplasty and posterior internal fixation were done for 16 cases. Of all the cases, 46 were fresh fractures and 28 old. Their average VAS score was 8.7 before operation. Results The mean follow- up time was 8.6 months. All the patients reported significant pain relief. Their average VAS score was 1.4 at the third day after operation (P 0.01). No severe complications occurred in the series. The average kyphosis angle decreased from 20.9 to 12.4 degrees after operation. Conclusion The Sky bone expander system is an effective and safe way to treat the osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures of vertebral body no matter they are fresh or old.