Dominic Maggio, Tamir T Ailon, Justin S Smith, Christopher I Shaffrey, Virginie Lafage, Frank Schwab, Regis W Haid, Themistocles Protopsaltis, Eric Klineberg, Justin K Scheer, Shay Bess, Paul M Arnold, Jens Chapman, Michael G Fehlings, Christopher Ames
OBJECT The associations among global spinal alignment, patient-reported disability, and surgical outcomes have increasingly gained attention. The assessment of global spinal alignment requires standing long-cassette anteroposterior and lateral radiographs; however, spine surgeons routinely rely only on short-segment imaging when evaluating seemingly isolated lumbar pathology. This may prohibit adequate surgical planning and may predispose surgeons to not recognize associated pathology in the thoracic spine and sagittal spinopelvic malalignment...
November 2015: Journal of Neurosurgery. Spine