Balloon Therapy for Broken Bones

According to the Daily Mail's Good Health section, surgeons usually use metal plates, screws or rods to stabilize shattered bones. But US scientists have now developed a less invasive treatment, which they say, will make recovery times for fractures much quicker. They insert a tiny tube (a catheter) with a balloon on the end into the hollow centre of the bone until it reaches the fracture. The balloon is then filled with a special liquid which is designed to stay fluid until exposed to light. A fibre optic cable is then fed into the balloon and when the light is switched on, the liquid hardens in 90 seconds into a cement like substance that fills the bones interior. This then pushes the fractured bone(s) back into place, supported from the inside. How clever is that? The patient only needs a couple of stitches and can put weight onto the damaged bone straight away. The balloon then stays in place and usually the metal fixings are removed during a second operation.