A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak can occur after trauma, after surgery, or idiopathically. With respect to spine surgery, any dural opening has the potential for a CSF leak. CSF leakage can be seen with anterior or posterior approaches. While some…
Summary of Key Points There is significant variability in the surgical approaches to adult deformity. Advantages of anterior surgery include mobilization of the spine circumferentially, restoration of physiological lordosis, implementation of indirect decompression, and enhancement of fusion rates and loading…
Summary of Key Points The proximal and distal extents of long posterior fusions in adults with spinal deformity are considered “at risk” for failure because of increased loads and motion at the last instrumented vertebra and the unfused adjacent segment.…
Summary of Key Points The thoracic spine has unique biomechanical and physiological features, creating a relatively rigid transition zone flanked by more mobile cervical and lumbar regions. The thoracic spinal cord is less prone to dynamic compression than the cervical…