SPINAL
FRACTURE
The human back is made of bones, muscles and nerves which coexist in a small space. The spine is made of bones called vertebrae which are separated by a soft cushion called disc. Patients suffering from Osteoporosis (weak bones) can suffer fracture in the spinal column even with mild impact. Road accidents or fall from a height can also lead to spinal fractures and collapse of the vertebral column. Patients with spinal fractures get paralysis in the arms or legs or in both arms and legs. Patients can also lose bowel and bladder control. If the spinal cord gets injured then the paralysis is almost irreversible.
Many patients who try to commit suicide by jumping from a height do not die but end up with vertebral fractures and paralysis. Such patients mostly have a completely collapsed vertebral column. In some cases nothing could be done and the patient remains bedridden for the rest of the life. Those who are lucky can have surgery for restoring the spinal column.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Mild fractures which are caused due to osteoporosis can be treated with immobilization in braces or a corset for 10-12 weeks. Bracing helps to control pain and prevent deformity of the spine.
Severe fractures would require surgery. Vertebroplasty is a surgical technique in which the surgeon will insert a catheter into the compressed vertebra. The catheter is used to inject the fractured vertebrae with bone cement, which hardens and stabalizes the vertebral column. This procedure has been shown to reduce or eliminate fracture pain, enabling a rapid return to mobility and preventing bone loss due to bed rest.
In Kyphoplasty, the surgeon will insert a tube into the vertebral column under the guidance of C-Arm. Then an inflatable bone tamp is inserted in this tube. The tamp is then inflated which restores the vertebral body back toward its original height, while creating a cavity to be filled with bone cement. The cement seals off cracks and cavities and prevents the vertebra from re-collapsing. After the cavity is filled, the tube is removed and the incision stitched.
COST OF TREATMENT
Patients suffering from Spinal Fractures are normally brought into the hospital emergency. The cost of primary treatment in the emergency is approximately Rs. 10-15 thousand which includes the investigations like X-Ray and CT Scan of the spine. If the case involves multiple trauma then the cost of investigations could be higher.
The cost of Vertebroplasty surgery would be in the range of Rs. 1.5 - 2.5 lacs with 4-5 days of hospital stay. The recovery after the surgery takes 2-4 weeks and the patient has to undergo physiotherapy for close to 4 weeks.
The cost of Kyphoplasty surgery would be in the range of Rs. 2-3 lacs with 8-10 days of hospital stay. The stay could be longer depending upon the extent of injuries to the patient. Sometimes the patient has to be in ICU for several days before surgery is done and total cost of the treatment could be higher.
Despite the best efforts of the doctors you may never return to normalcy so "Think before you Leap' whatever might be the circumstances.
