Aims

To describe the clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes in patients with isolated congenital thoracolumbar kyphosis who were treated with three-column osteotomy by posterior-only approach.

Aims. The aim of this study is to introduce and investigate the efficacy and feasibility of a new vertebral osteotomy technique, vertebral column decancellation (VCD), for rigid thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity (TLKD) secondary to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). . Patients and Methods. We took 39 patients from between January 2009 and January 2013 (26 male, 13 female, mean age 37.4 years, 28 to 54) with AS and a TLKD who underwent VCD (VCD group) and compared their outcome with 45 patients (31 male, 14 female, mean age 34.8 years, 23 to 47) with AS and TLKD, who underwent pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO group), according to the same selection criteria. The technique of VCD was performed at single vertebral level in the thoracolumbar region of AS patients according to classification of AS kyphotic deformity. Pre- and post-operative chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA), sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and sagittal Cobb angle in the thoracolumbar region were reviewed in the VCD and PSO groups. Intra- , post-operative and general complications were analysed in both group. Results. lf patients could lie on their backs and walk with horizontal vision and sagittal profile, radiographic parameters improved significantly post-operatively in both groups. No major acute complications such as death or complete paralysis occurred in either group. In the VCD group, five patients (12.8%) experienced complications such as severe CSF leak (n = 4), deep wound infection (n = 1) and in one patient a transient neurological deficit occurred. In the PSO group, eight patients (17.8%) suffered conditions such as severe CSF leak (n = 5), infections (n = 2) and sagittal translation at osteotomy site (n = 1). Scoliosis Research Society outcomes instrument (SRS-22) improved significantly in both groups. All patients achieved solid fusion at latest follow-up and no implant failures were noted in either group. Take home message: The VCD technique is a new, safe and effective strategy for correction of rigid TLKD in AS patients. The main advantage of the new correction mechanism is that it achieved a satisfactory correction by controlled anterior column opening and posterior column closing, avoiding the occurrence of sagittal translation. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:672–8

Cardiac disease in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has previously been studied but not in patients with a kyphosis or in those who have undergone an operation to correct it. . The aim of this study was to measure the post-operative changes in cardiac function of patients with an AS kyphosis after pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO). The original cohort consisted of 39 patients (33 men, six women). Of these, four patients (two men, two women) were lost to follow-up leaving 35 patients (31 men, four women) to study. The mean age of the remaining patients was 37.4 years (22.3 to 47.8) and their mean duration of AS was 17.0 years (4.6 to 26.4). Echocardiographic measurements, resting heart rate (RHR), physical function score (PFS), and full-length standing spinal radiographs were obtained before surgery and at the two-year follow-up. The mean pre-operative RHR was 80.2 bpm (60.6 to 112.3) which dropped to a mean of 73.7 bpm (60.7 to 90.6) at the two-year follow-up (p = 0.0000). Of 15 patients with normal ventricular function pre-operatively, two developed mild left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) at the two-year follow-up. Of 20 patients with mild LVDD pre-operatively only five had this post-operatively. Overall, 15 patients had normal LV diastolic function before their operation and 28 patients had normal LV function at the two-year follow-up. The clinical improvement was 15 out of 20 (75.0%): cardiac function in patients with AS whose kyphosis was treated by PSO was significantly improved. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1405–10

Aims

There is a paucity of information on the pre-operative coronal imbalance in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) and its influence on surgical outcomes.