Since the ?rst edition of this book was published in 2002, there have been many advances in our knowledge of percutaneous vertoplasty (PV), particularly about how to perform the procedure more safely and how to approach more complex case situations. Additionally, mate- als that were initially used “off label” or that simply were not FDA approved have completed their governmental review and have received FDA approval. This has increased the legitimacy of the p- cedure from the legal and reimbursement perspective. Controversy over height restoration and device selection has become a progressively bigger issue over time. Kyphoplasty (balloon assisted vertebroplasty) has received tremendous emphasis. This book c- pares and contrasts data and claims that differentiate kyphoplasty from percutaneous vertebroplasty. We also look at other methods that pot- tially can be used for height restoration. New procedures that deal with bone augmentation in other anatomic regions have evolved (i.e., sacroplasty) and are discussed. As this re- lution in image-guided percutaneous bone augmentation has dev- oped, multiple medical specialties have embraced these procedures in their training programs for both residents and practicing physicians.
