Bone Cement for Vertebroplasty

A new bone cement is designed for use by doctors to fix fractures of the spine. The cement has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The cement is commonly used in vertebroplasty. In this procedure, doctors guided by imaging insert a long needle through the back into a fractured vertebra, injecting the bone cement through the needle. The cement hardens inside the bones and fills gaps created by the fracture, strengthening collapsed vertebrae and relieving pain and pressure for the patient.

The new Ava-Tex radiopaque bone cement is made from an acrylic resin called polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The cement offers doctors an extended injection time once the cement is mixed and is designed for visibility with fluoroscoping imaging. The new bone cement is the product of Cardinal Health (McGaw Park, IL, USA) and has received the CE Mark.

"Physicians have been asking for a cement designed to treat vertebral fractures, and we are very pleased to be able to offer this product, now that we have FDA clearance,” noted Tom Daulton, vice president and general manager of special procedures at Cardinal Health. Ava-Tex has an extended injection time, which gives doctors the extra time needed during the procedure to safely inject the cement.




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