Dr. Isador Lieberman and his colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic are leaders in the development and evaluation of treatment options for painful, progressive osteoporotic or osteolytic vertebral compression fractures (VCF’s). Dr. Lieberman is one of the original surgeons utilizing “kyphoplasty”, a new technique to restore height and stabilize the vertebral compression fractures. He and his team have presented their clinical results nationally and internationally as well as published their results in the major scientific medical journals.
He has initiated a basic science project investigating the issues of force transmission in the osteoporotic spine, and a pathologic/histologic study attempting to elucidate the etiology of compression fractures and also evaluating the effect of bone cement on the vertebral body. Other studies include the use of new bone substitutes in place of the traditional bone cement for vertebral augmentation. There are currently ongoing bench top, animal model and clinical studies all with preliminary results supporting the clinical use vertebral body cement augmentation for painful, progressive vertebral collapse. To date over 300 patients in Cleveland and over 10000 patients in the US with painful, progressive osteoporotic or osteolytic vertebral compression fractures have been successfully treated as a result of this initial work.
