Elmhurst Hospital using new implant to treat spine fractures

A car accident, a slip on an icy sidewalk, a fall from a ladder – it only takes one mishap to cause a painful spinal fracture.

Karen Clark of Elmwood Park learned that the hard way. In October 2014, Clark fell while she was walking her dog. The vertebral compression fracture she sustained caused “excruciating” pain.

“We ran into a skunk. It was pouring rain. I hit the concrete,” said Clark, 56.

She crawled, then limped home. The next day, she couldn’t sit or stand. Her primary care physician sent her for X-rays and an MRI, which confirmed the fracture. Clark was referred to Dr. Ryon Hennessy, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Elmhurst Hospital and with Orthopedic Specialists.

Dr. Hennessy used a relatively new implant to treat Clark – the Kiva VCF Treatment System, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2014 to treat vertebral compression fractures. Dr. Hennessy has placed more than 50 Kiva implants since May 2014, the highest volume in Illinois and among the top five orthopedic surgeons nationally.

A Kiva implant is a loop of plastic that is inserted into the spine and used, along with a small amount of cement, to set and support the spine while the fracture heals. The minimally invasive procedure is done on an outpatient basis, requiring only a single, small incision to place the Kiva implant.

The pain relief people feel after the procedure likely tops the list of benefits for patients. After the implant is in place, “the pain is usually diminished right away,” Dr. Hennessy said.

Another benefit of Kiva is the material from which it is made. The plastic used in the implant more closely resembles bone than the cement used in kyphoplasty, making it less likely to cause fractures in adjacent vertebrae, Hennessy said. Kyphoplasty carries a 20-25 percent chance of breaking the bone above or below the site of the original fracture.

“With Kiva, you’re more likely to have a lasting result without having to come back to surgery,” Dr. Hennessy said.

Clark had surgery to place the implant at Elmhurst Hospital on Dec. 23 – the day before she planned to host a big family holiday gathering. While she was busy and on her feet often in the days after her surgery, her pain was noticeably reduced.

“They gave me 60 (pain relievers). I took three,” Clark said.

At her first post-operation check-up, less than two weeks after the surgery, Clark said she was feeling 80 percent better and had been able to resume her day-to-day activities. Not only did she get through the holidays, she has gone back to work as a cafeteria manager for the Elmhurst School District.

“I got my life back – without pain,” Clark said.

For more information about Elmhurst Hospital’s orthopedic program, visit www.ortho.healthydriven.com.