Understanding spinopelvic mechanics is important for the success of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Despite significant advancements in appreciating spinopelvic balance, numerous challenges remain. It is crucial to recognize the individual variability and postoperative changes in spinopelvic parameters and their consequential impact on prosthetic component positioning to mitigate the risk of dislocation and enhance postoperative outcomes. This review describes the integration of advanced diagnostic approaches, enhanced technology, implant considerations, and surgical planning, all tailored to the unique anatomy and biomechanics of each patient. It underscores the importance of accurately predicting postoperative spinopelvic mechanics, selecting suitable imaging techniques, establishing a consistent nomenclature for spinopelvic stiffness, and considering implant-specific strategies. Furthermore, it highlights the potential of artificial intelligence to personalize care. Cite this article:
Aims. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the level of upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) in frail patients undergoing surgery for adult spine deformity (ASD). Methods. Patients with adult spinal deformity who had undergone T9-to-pelvis fusion were stratified using the ASD-Modified Frailty Index into not frail, frail, and severely frail categories. ASD was defined as at least one of: scoliosis ≥ 20°,
Aims. A variety of surgical methods and strategies have been demonstrated for Andersson lesion (AL) therapy. In 2011, we proposed and identified the feasibility of stabilizing the spine without curettaging the vertebral or discovertebral lesion to cure non-kyphotic AL. Additionally, due to the excellent reunion ability of ankylosing spondylitis, we further came up with minimally invasive spinal surgery (MIS) to avoid the need for both bone graft and lesion curettage in AL surgery. However, there is a paucity of research into the comparison between open spinal fusion (OSF) and early MIS in the treatment of AL. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the clinical outcomes and radiological evaluation of our early MIS approach and OSF for AL. Methods. A total of 39 patients diagnosed with AL who underwent surgery from January 2004 to December 2022 were retrospectively screened for eligibility. Patients with AL were divided into an MIS group and an OSF group. The primary outcomes were union of the lesion on radiograph and CT, as well as the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores immediately after surgery, and at the follow-up (mean 29 months (standard error (SE) 9)). The secondary outcomes were total blood loss during surgery, operating time, and improvement in the radiological parameters: global and local kyphosis,
Aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a patient-specific algorithm which we developed for predicting changes in sagittal pelvic tilt after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods. This retrospective study included 143 patients who underwent 171 THAs between April 2019 and October 2020 and had full-body lateral radiographs preoperatively and at one year postoperatively. We measured the pelvic incidence (PI), the
To determine the major risk factors for unplanned reoperations (UROs) following corrective surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) and their interactions, using machine learning-based prediction algorithms and game theory. Patients who underwent surgery for ASD, with a minimum of two-year follow-up, were retrospectively reviewed. In total, 210 patients were included and randomly allocated into training (70% of the sample size) and test (the remaining 30%) sets to develop the machine learning algorithm. Risk factors were included in the analysis, along with clinical characteristics and parameters acquired through diagnostic radiology.Aims
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Aims. The optimal procedure for the treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of anterior cervical ossified posterior longitudinal ligament en bloc resection (ACOE) with posterior laminectomy and fusion with bone graft and internal fixation (PTLF) for the surgical management of patients with this condition. Methods. Between July 2017 and July 2019, 40 patients with cervical OPLL were equally randomized to undergo surgery with an ACOE or a PTLF. The clinical and radiological results were compared between the two groups. Results. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and recovery rate in the ACOE group were significantly higher than those in the PTLF group during two years postoperatively, provided that the canal occupying ratio (COR) was > 50%, or the K-line was negative. There was no significant difference in JOA scores and rate of recovery between the two groups in those in whom the COR was < 50%, or the K-line was positive. There was no significant difference in the Cobb angle between C2 and C7,
The February 2023 Spine Roundup360 looks at: S2AI screws: At what cost?; Just how good is spinal deformity surgery?; Is 80 years of age too late in the day for spine surgery?; Factors affecting the accuracy of pedicle screw placement in robot-assisted surgery; Factors causing delay in discharge in patients eligible for ambulatory lumbar fusion surgery; Anterior cervical discectomy or fusion and selective laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy; Surgery for cervical radiculopathy: what is the complication burden?; Hypercholesterolemia and neck pain; Return to work after surgery for cervical radiculopathy: a nationwide registry-based observational study.
Postoperative complication rates remain relatively high after adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. The extent to which modifiable patient-related factors influence complication rates in patients with ASD has not been effectively evaluated. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the association between modifiable patient-related factors and complications after corrective surgery for ASD. ASD patients with two-year data were included. Complications were categorized as follows: any complication, major, medical, surgical, major mechanical, major radiological, and reoperation. Modifiable risk factors included smoking, obesity, osteoporosis, alcohol use, depression, psychiatric diagnosis, and hypertension. Patients were stratified by the degree of baseline deformity (low degree of deformity (LowDef)/high degree of deformity (HighDef): below or above 20°) and age (Older/Younger: above or below 65 years). Complication rates were compared for modifiable risk factors in each age/deformity group, using multivariable logistic regression analysis to adjust for confounders.Aims
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The aim of this study was to assess the ability of morphological spinal parameters to predict the outcome of bracing in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and to establish a novel supine correction index (SCI) for guiding bracing treatment. Patients with AIS to be treated by bracing were prospectively recruited between December 2016 and 2018, and were followed until brace removal. In all, 207 patients with a mean age at recruitment of 12.8 years (SD 1.2) were enrolled. Cobb angles, supine flexibility, and the rate of in-brace correction were measured and used to predict curve progression at the end of follow-up. The SCI was defined as the ratio between correction rate and flexibility. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to assess the optimal thresholds for flexibility, correction rate, and SCI in predicting a higher risk of progression, defined by a change in Cobb angle of ≥ 5° or the need for surgery.Aims
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Aims. This study aimed to evaluate sagittal spinopelvic alignment (SSPA) in the early stage of rapidly destructive coxopathy (RDC) compared with hip osteoarthritis (HOA), and to identify risk factors of SSPA for destruction of the femoral head within 12 months after the disease onset. Methods. This study enrolled 34 RDC patients with joint space narrowing > 2 mm within 12 months after the onset of hip pain and 25 HOA patients showing femoral head destruction. Sharp angle was measured for acetabular coverage evaluation. Femoral head collapse ratio was calculated for assessment of the extent of femoral head collapse by RDC. The following parameters of SSPA were evaluated using the whole spinopelvic radiograph: pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), pelvic incidence (PI),
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. Methods. Hospital records of 27 patients with isolated congenital thoracolumbar kyphosis undergoing surgery at a single centre were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent deformity correction which involved a three-column osteotomy by single-stage posterior-only approach. Radiological parameters (local kyphosis angle (KA), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), C7
High-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis is a disabling disorder for which many different operative techniques have been described. The aim of this study is to evaluate Scoliosis Research Society 22-item (SRS-22r) scores, global balance, and regional spino-pelvic alignment from two to 25 years after surgery for high-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis using an all-posterior partial reduction, transfixation technique. SRS-22r and full-spine lateral radiographs were collected for the 28 young patients (age 13.4 years (SD 2.6) who underwent surgery for high-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis in our centre (Scottish National Spinal Deformity Service) between 1995 and 2018. The mean follow-up was nine years (2 to 25), and one patient was lost to follow-up. The standard surgical technique was an all-posterior, partial reduction, and S1 to L5 transfixation screw technique without direct decompression. Parameters for segmental (slip percentage, Dubousset’s lumbosacral angle) and regional alignment (pelvic tilt, sacral slope, L5 incidence, lumbar lordosis, and thoracic kyphosis) and global balance (T1 spino-pelvic inclination) were measured. SRS-22r scores were compared between patients with a balanced and unbalanced pelvis at final follow-up.Aims
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To report the surgical outcome of patients with severe Scheuermann’s kyphosis treated using a consistent technique and perioperative management. We reviewed 88 consecutive patients with a severe Scheuermann's kyphosis who had undergone posterior spinal fusion with closing wedge osteotomies and hybrid instrumentation. There were 55 males and 33 females with a mean age of 15.9 years (12.0 to 24.7) at the time of surgery. We recorded their demographics, spinopelvic parameters, surgical correction, and perioperative data, and assessed the impact of surgical complications on outcome using the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 questionnaire.Aims
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The complex relationship between acetabular component position and spinopelvic mobility in patients following total hip arthroplasty (THA) renders it difficult to optimize acetabular component positioning. Mobility of the normal lumbar spine during postural changes results in alterations in pelvic tilt (PT) to maintain the sagittal balance in each posture and, as a consequence, markedly changes the functional component anteversion (FCA). This study aimed to investigate the in vivo association of lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) with the PT angle and with FCA during postural changes in THA patients. A total of 50 patients with unilateral THA underwent CT imaging for radiological evaluation of presence and severity of lumbar DDD. In all, 18 patients with lumbar DDD were compared to 32 patients without lumbar DDD. In vivo PT and FCA, and the magnitudes of changes (ΔPT; ΔFCA) during supine, standing, swing-phase, and stance-phase positions were measured using a validated dual fluoroscopic imaging system.Aims
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Whether a combined anteroposterior fusion or a posterior-only fusion is more effective in the management of patients with Scheuermann’s kyphosis remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the radiological and clinical outcomes of these surgical approaches, and to evaluate the postoperative complications with the hypothesis that proximal junctional kyphosis would be more common in one-stage posterior-only fusion. A retrospective review of patients treated surgically for Scheuermann’s kyphosis between 2006 and 2014 was performed. A total of 62 patients were identified, with 31 in each group. Parameters were compared to evaluate postoperative outcomes using chi-squared tests, independent-samples Aims
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The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that three grades of sagittal compensation for standing posture (normal, compensated, and decompensated) correlate with health-related quality of life measurements (HRQOL). A total of 50 healthy volunteers (normal), 100 patients with single-level lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (LDS), and 70 patients with adult to elderly spinal deformity (deformity) were enrolled. Following collection of demographic data and HRQOL measured by the Scoliosis Research Society-22r (SRS-22r), radiological measurement by the biplanar slot-scanning full body stereoradiography (EOS) system was performed simultaneously with force-plate measurements to obtain whole body sagittal alignment parameters. These parameters included the offset between the centre of the acoustic meatus and the gravity line (CAM-GL), saggital vertical axis (SVA), T1 pelvic angle (TPA), McGregor slope, C2-7 lordosis, thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), PI-LL, sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), and knee flexion. Whole spine MRI examination was also performed. Cluster analysis of the SRS-22r scores in the pooled data was performed to classify the subjects into three groups according to the HRQOL, and alignment parameters were then compared among the three cluster groups.Aims
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To compare the rates of sagittal and coronal correction for all-pedicle screw instrumentation and hybrid instrumentation using sublaminar bands in the treatment of thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 124 patients who had undergone surgery in two centres for the correction of Lenke 1 or 2 AIS. Radiological evaluation was carried out preoperatively, in the early postoperative phase, and at two-year follow-up. Parameters measured included coronal Cobb angles and thoracic kyphosis. Postoperative alignment was compared after matching the cohorts by preoperative coronal Cobb angle, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and pelvic incidence.Aims
Methods
It is uncertain whether instrumented spinal fixation in nonambulatory children with neuromuscular scoliosis should finish at L5 or be extended to the pelvis. Pelvic fixation has been shown to be associated with up to 30% complication rates, but is regarded by some as the standard for correction of deformity in these conditions. The incidence of failure when comparing the most caudal level of instrumentation, either L5 or the pelvis, using all-pedicle screw instrumentation has not previously been reported. In this retrospective study, we compared nonambulatory patients undergoing surgery at two centres: one that routinely instrumented to L5 and the other to the pelvis. In all, 91 nonambulatory patients with neuromuscular scoliosis were included. All underwent surgery using bilateral, segmental, pedicle screw instrumentation. A total of 40 patients underwent fusion to L5 and 51 had their fixation extended to the pelvis. The two groups were assessed for differences in terms of clinical and radiological findings, as well as complications.Aims
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Aims. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of pelvic parameters on the tendency of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) to develop flatback deformity (thoracic hypokyphosis and lumbar hypolordosis) and its effect on quality-of-life outcomes. Patients and Methods. This was a radiological study of 265 patients recruited for Boston bracing between December 2008 and December 2013. Posteroanterior and lateral radiographs were obtained before, immediately after, and two-years after completion of bracing. Measurements of coronal and sagittal Cobb angles, coronal balance,
