To the relief of many who endure pain from spinal fractures, PMMC now offers a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure called vertebroplasty, which stabilizes the bone and stops the pain.

"Vertebroplasty is a treatment for patients who fail to respond to conventional pain medications, or for patients who get pain relief only after using such high doses of narcotics that it interferes with daily activities," says PMMC Interventional Radiologist Kartik Shah, MD. "Vertebroplasty is 95-percent effective in controlling pain."

The entire procedure uses local anesthetic and "conscious" sedation and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Medical-grade bone cement injected into collapsed bone prevents further collapse and dramatically relieves pain. Patients go home the same day.

For more information, talk to your physician or call Interventional Radiology at 610-327-7485.