Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Can Restore Normal Spine Mechanics following Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture

Figure 2

“Stress profiles” show the distribution of compressive stress within the intervertebral disc of a cadaver motion segment (Male 74, L1-2, A: anterior, P: posterior). In the nucleus of the disc, there is a hydrostatic pressure, the intradiscal pressure (IDP). Before fracture, stress is distributed evenly across the disc except for a small stress peak in the anterior annulus (${\text{SP}}_{\text{A}}$). After fracture, IDP falls markedly and a large stress peak appears in the posterior annulus. Vertebroplasty restores IDP towards pre-fracture levels and also reduces the height of the stress peak in the posterior annulus. (Reproduced with permission from Luo et al. [29]).