Systems and methods for treating bone using expandable bodies

A method comprising

• selecting a vertebral body for treatment, the vertebral body having a cortical wall enclosing a cancellous bone volume, the vertebral body having at least one cortical plate that is depressed due to fracture,
• ascertaining a maximum lateral dimension for the vertebral body measured between lateral cortical walls,
• providing an expandable device including an expanded configuration and an unexpanded configuration, the expandable device having a predefined dimension when substantially expanded that is less than the maximum lateral dimension,
• introducing the expandable device into the vertebral body through a percutaneous access path while in the unexpanded condition,
• expanding the expandable device while disposed within the cancellous bone volume from the unexpanded configuration toward the expanded configuration, and
• providing an expansion barrier in association with the expandable device that directs expansion of the expandable device in a desired direction to move the fractured cortical plate toward a desired anatomic position.

A method comprising

• selecting a vertebral body for treatment, the vertebral body having a cortical wall enclosing a cancellous bone volume, the vertebral body having at least one cortical plate that is depressed due to fracture,
• ascertaining at least one maximum dimension for the cancellous bone volume,
• providing an expandable device including an expanded configuration and an unexpanded configuration, the expandable device having a predefined dimension when substantially expanded that is less than the maximum dimension,
• introducing the expandable device into the vertebral body through a percutaneous access path while in the unexpanded condition, and
• expanding the expandable device while disposed within the cancellous bone volume from the unexpanded configuration toward the expanded configuration,
• providing an expansion barrier in association with the expandable device that directs expansion of the expandable device in a desired direction to move the fractured cortical plate toward a desired anatomic position.