Tuesday 1 April 2014

An Overview of the Minimally Invasive Vertebral Compression Fracture Repair Market

Vertebral invasive compression fractures, also commonly called spine fractures, occur when the bony block or the vertebrae in our spine suffers crack or gets deformed.



Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are the most common fractures in people with osteoporosis or low bone density. Though osteoporosis is considered the major reason behind such fractures, forms of metastatic tumors and extensive trauma such as an accident, a hard fall or a sports injury can also lead to such fractures.

The placement of such fractures that commonly happens to be the thoracic spine (middle portion of the spine), especially in its lower parts, makes the condition more complex as no plasters can be applied there. The patient with such fractures suffers from many issues such as sudden onset of back pain, limited spinal mobility making it difficult to walk or stand straight, eventual height loss, deformity and disability in many cases.


While non-surgical methods like medicines, exercise bracing and bed-rest are widely prevalent for curing VCFs, two newly evolved surgical methods: kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are becoming widely popular for treating complex cases where non-surgical methods fail to benefit. These methods have less seen very less post-surgery complications rates, as less as 2% and are proving to be reasons for significant pain release and rise in physical functioning of the patients.

Kyphoplasty signifies a technique in which a balloon like inflatable object (called the bone tamp) is first placed in the fracture to restore the height of the derogated vertebrae. This is followed by a percutaneous injection of bone cement direct on the fracture.

Vertebroplasty, on the other hand, is a process in which a direct percutaneous injection of bone cement is given on the vertebral fracture.

Both the techniques involve minimal invasion in the fractured area and so the name minimally invasive vertebral compression fracture repair techniques.
Among these two techniques, kyphoplasty is more popular than vertebroplasty, owing to the additional benefits of restoration of vertebral height of the latter. In 2011, the global market for kyphoplasty was worth USD 555.4 million.


The market for minimally invasive vertebral compression fracture repair, particularly by the virtue of Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty is hugely flourishing. It is estimated to reach a value of USD 2.82 billion in 2019 with a growth rate of 8.7% through the years 2013 to 2019. The value of this industry was about USD 1.58 billion in 2012, with US being the key player and developing economies such as China, Japan, India, Korea estimated as the potentially emerging markets. 

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