14 DAY TRIAL // The way bone fractures are treated today depends entirely on how serious they are, with procedures ranging from a simple cast to the more complex surgeries where doctors fix metal plates and screws to keep the shattered bone in place. All of them could soon be replaced by a revolutionary technique developed by IlluminOss, which consists of inserting a permanent balloon filled with a cement-like substance that keeps the bone in place from within, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The balloon not only leaves less scarring than surgery for the insertion of plates and screws, which also requires a second surgery to have them removed once the bone heals, but also reduces recovery time considerably. The technique has already been applied in some cases to excellent results, and is to go on trial in the US within the following months, to see if a wider acceptance is possible.
As noted above, the balloon is said to work wonderfully for both simple fractures and more serious ones, where the bone shatters into pieces that have to be put back together by doctors. The procedure itself does not last too long, and consists of several stages, according to the aforementioned source.
First, surgeons make a small incision to reach the bone. A tiny hole is then made in the bone, next to the fracture area, using a metal rod, and a catheter is inserted through it down in the hollow center of the bone. The balloon is fed through the catheter and, once inserted in the bone, is filled with a special liquid that solidifies when exposed to light of a given wavelength.
The next step of the procedure consists of “feeding a fiber-optic cable with a light on the end” through the same catheter: when the light is turned on, the liquid in the balloon solidifies in about 90 seconds and pushes the bone fragments back into place from within, encouraging natural healing. What’s even better about this procedure is that it leaves only a small scar and the patient can put weight on the broken bone within hours, and is back to normal in just a couple of weeks, unlike it would be the case with traditional techniques.
“Initially, it will be used on small bones, such as broken wrists, but eventually we hope to use it on long bones such as the femur (thigh bone) or even the spine.” a spokesperson for the developing company, IlluminOss, says for the aforementioned publication. While it is believed that the balloon technique would not be suitable for all kinds of fractures, it is more than promising for most, as further testing will hopefully show.