By Abdullatif Al-Sharaa

KUWAIT: Intervention radiology, spinal column and chronic pain consultant Dr Waleed Al-Hajji revealed a new and advanced technique called balloon technique to treat spinal column fractures resulting from bone weakness and osteoporosis, adding that is has a high success rate and in record time of 30 minutes only for each area treated. It also has astonishing results in the treatment of fractured vertebra.

Hajji said the operation is carried out by inserting a needle, and when it reaches the problem area, a balloon at the tip of the needle is inflated to fill the empty area of the brittle bone and restore the vertebra's lost body due to the fracture. The inflated balloon's empty space is then filled with medical cement material through a technique of slow injection to avoid any leakage or complications.

Hajji said this operation gives the fractured vertebra more solidity and gets fantastic results immediately after the procedures. He said this technique represents a quality move in spinal column injuries due to its many advantages that spares time and effort. He said there are many reasons for the spread of bone disease in society, headed by increasing traffic accidents and osteoporosis in women.

He said this technique serves the elderly to a great extent because it provides comfort and safety for the patient, and does not require high doses of anesthetics. The surgery is done under local anesthesia without incision and does not take a long time.