Kyphoplasty vs. Corpectomy: How the Procedures Differ

Medically reviewed by Dr. David L. Greenwald, MD, FAANS, FACS — dual board-certified spine surgeon & neurosurgeon. Last reviewed October 2026.

Kyphoplasty and corpectomy both treat a damaged vertebra, but they sit at opposite ends of the surgical spectrum and do almost opposite things. Kyphoplasty keeps the bone and stabilizes it from the outside with cement, through two small needle punctures. A corpectomy removes the vertebral body completely and rebuilds the spine to take pressure off the spinal cord. That single difference, stabilize versus remove and reconstruct, drives everything else: how invasive each is, what each can fix, the risks, and the recovery. This guide explains how each procedure works, how they compare head to head, and how a spine surgeon decides which one a patient actually needs.

What's in This Guide

Kyphoplasty vs. Corpectomy at a Glance

Understanding Kyphoplasty (Balloon Kyphoplasty)

Kyphoplasty treats a vertebral compression fracture, the kind of collapse that most often happens when weakened, osteoporotic bone gives way, or when a tumor has weakened a vertebra. These fractures are common: an estimated 700,000 occur each year in the United States, and they can cause sudden, sharp back pain, loss of height, and a stooped posture. When the pain is severe and has not settled with conservative care such as rest, bracing, and medication, kyphoplasty can stabilize the broken bone and calm the pain.

The procedure is percutaneous, meaning it works through the skin rather than through an open incision. Guided by real-time X-ray, the surgeon passes a narrow instrument through a small puncture in the back and into the fractured vertebral body. A balloon (a bone tamp) is then inflated inside the bone to create a cavity and gently lift the collapsed vertebra back toward its original height. The balloon is removed and the cavity is filled with medical-grade bone cement, which hardens within minutes to splint the fracture from the inside. Because it stabilizes rather than replaces the vertebra, kyphoplasty involves no fusion and no hardware. You can read more on the kyphoplasty procedure page, and the closely related cement-only option is covered in kyphoplasty versus vertebroplasty.

Genuine strengths: It is minimally invasive and often done as an outpatient, with many patients feeling meaningful fracture-pain relief within a day or two. It can partly restore vertebral height and improve a kyphotic deformity. Honest limits: kyphoplasty treats the fracture, not the spinal cord. It does not remove bone fragments or relieve pressure on the nerves, so it is not an option when a fracture is unstable or when something is squeezing the spinal canal.

Source: StatPearls: Vertebral Compression Fractures (NCBI) | Mayo Clinic: Osteoporosis

Understanding Corpectomy

A corpectomy is the answer when the vertebral body itself is the problem and has to come out. The word corpectomy literally means removing the body (corpus) of a vertebra. Working through an open approach, from the front, side, or back depending on the level and pathology, the surgeon removes the entire vertebral body along with the discs on either side of it. That clears a wide, continuous channel and takes direct pressure off the spinal cord and nerve roots, something no cement procedure can do.

Removing a vertebra leaves a large gap, so reconstruction is the second half of the operation. The surgeon bridges the space with a strut, either a block of bone graft or, more often today, an expandable titanium cage sized to fit, then anchors it with plates, screws, or rods and fuses the adjacent levels into a solid unit. Because the construct spans a long distance and the spine has been rebuilt, many patients wear a brace while it heals. The details are covered on the corpectomy procedure page, and related decompression comparisons are covered in corpectomy versus laminectomy.

Genuine strengths: It is the most reliable way to decompress the spinal cord when a burst fracture, tumor, or infection has pushed bone into the canal or destroyed the vertebra, and it rebuilds the spine's load-bearing column at the same time. Honest limits: it is a major operation, with more blood loss, a hospital stay, and a longer, more involved recovery than any percutaneous procedure, which is why surgeons reserve it for problems that genuinely require removing and reconstructing the bone.

Source: AO Foundation: Thoracolumbar burst fracture, anterior stabilization | Mayo Clinic: Spinal fractures

The Core Difference: Stabilize vs. Remove and Rebuild

Strip away the terminology and the whole comparison comes down to one question: can the vertebra be saved and splinted in place, or does it have to be removed and replaced? Kyphoplasty keeps the bone and stabilizes it with cement. A corpectomy takes the bone out and rebuilds the column. Everything else, the invasiveness, the hardware, the hospital stay, the recovery, flows from that.

Picture a collapsed vertebra. If the bone is cracked and painful but still holding its shape, and nothing is pressing on the spinal cord, kyphoplasty can splint it from the inside with cement and the problem is solved with a needle. But if that vertebra has shattered and pushed fragments back into the spinal canal, or a tumor has eaten through it, cement cannot reach or remove the compressing bone. The vertebra has to come out and be rebuilt. This is why the choice is a matter of anatomy and stability, not of picking the smaller surgery.

Kyphoplasty vs. Corpectomy: Full Comparison

Who Should Consider Kyphoplasty

Kyphoplasty is typically the right fit for a patient whose vertebra is fractured but still stable, and whose spinal cord is not under pressure. You are more likely to be a kyphoplasty candidate if:

• You have a painful vertebral compression fracture, often from osteoporosis or a weakened (pathologic) vertebra, confirmed on imaging.
• The fracture is stable and there is no bone or tumor pressing on the spinal cord or nerves.
• Severe fracture pain has not improved with conservative care such as rest, bracing, and medication over a reasonable period.
• You want the least invasive option that stabilizes the fracture and relieves pain quickly, ideally as an outpatient.
• Restoring some lost vertebral height and improving a stooped, kyphotic posture are goals your surgeon thinks are achievable.

When the fracture is stable but you are weighing cement options, the choice between a balloon and cement-only approach is covered in vertebroplasty, a related procedure worth discussing with your surgeon.

Source: StatPearls: Vertebral Compression Fractures | Mayo Clinic: Osteoporosis

Who Should Consider a Corpectomy

A corpectomy is the right call when stabilizing the vertebra is not enough and the bone itself has to be removed. You are more likely to need a corpectomy if:

• A burst fracture has shattered the vertebra and pushed fragments back into the spinal canal, where they are compressing the cord.
• A tumor or infection has destroyed or significantly weakened the vertebral body, so it needs to be removed and rebuilt.
• There is spinal cord or nerve compression, or a new or worsening neurological deficit such as leg weakness, numbness, or problems with bowel or bladder control.
• The vertebra is unstable and cement alone could not safely support the spine's load-bearing column.
• Your surgeon determines a combined or hybrid plan is best, such as a corpectomy at the destroyed level and a kyphoplasty at a separate, stable fracture nearby.

In other words, a corpectomy is chosen because the anatomy demands it, not because it is a more thorough operation by default. For a sense of how corpectomy compares with other decompression and fusion surgeries, see corpectomy versus ACDF and corpectomy versus discectomy.

Source: AO Foundation: Thoracolumbar burst fracture, anterior stabilization | Mayo Clinic: Spinal fractures

The Verdict: Which Is Right?

There is no single winner here, because kyphoplasty and corpectomy are not really competing for the same patient. For a stable, painful compression fracture with a clear spinal canal, kyphoplasty is almost always the better choice: it stabilizes the fracture, relieves pain fast, and does it through two small punctures with a quick recovery. It is the least-invasive answer, and when it fits, it fits well.

But when a vertebra has been destroyed by a burst fracture, tumor, or infection, or when bone is pressing on the spinal cord, a corpectomy is not just a bigger option, it is the only operation that actually solves the problem. Cement cannot decompress a cord or replace a shattered vertebra. The real decision is made at the imaging, by looking at whether the fracture is stable and whether the spinal cord is compromised, not by starting with the smaller procedure and hoping it is enough.

Desert Spine and Pain is a Phoenix, Arizona practice led by Dr. David L. Greenwald, MD, FACS, a board-certified surgeon who is both a spine surgeon and a neurosurgeon, a dual expertise that matters most when a decision sits at the line between a minimally invasive fix and major reconstruction. Every plan starts with the least invasive effective option and a careful look at whether surgery is needed at all. Patients travel from across the Greater Phoenix area and beyond for this level of surgical care.

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Common Questions About Kyphoplasty and Corpectomy

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