Vertebroplasty is performed to strengthen the vertebral bodies that have been fractured by compression, most often as a result of osteoporosis. The procedure consists in the percutaneous injection of a special cement into the vertebral body, which hardens after about 20-30 minutes. The effect is to strengthen the weakened shaft and alleviate or completely eliminate the pain of a broken vertebra. Vertebroplasty is also performed in people with neoplastic processes in the spine and other pathological changes that weaken the bone structure.