Thoracic spine fractures in elderly patients with osteoporosis are most often treated with minimally invasive surgery. These include vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Vertebroplasty is not available for vertebral fractures that are too high or too low, and is often chosen for vertebral fractures below the 8th thoracic vertebra, which generally costs $10,000-15,000. To perform vertebroplasty, balloon expansion is first required, and then bone cement is injected into the vertebral body, which costs about $20,000-30,000, and with the advent of expensive surgical instruments, the cost of surgery can be as high as about $40,000-50,000.