Anterior spine fusion with Zielke instrumentation for idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents.

Anterior Zielke instrumentation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curvatures can provide excellent correction of thoracolumbar and lumbar curvatures, with substantial correction of rotational deformity. This correction allows fewer number of vertebrae to be fused, thereby leaving more normal lumbar motion segments distal to the fusion and decreasing the likelihood of lumbar spondylosis in later life. Anterior spinal surgery introduces a new set of intraoperative challenges that may be unfamiliar to the traditional posterior spine deformity surgeon. A slightly less cosmetically acceptable thoracotomy incision scar and the fact that a postoperative orthosis is required are disadvantages that are outweighed by the fewer number of motion segments that need to be involved in the fusion mass, as well as the superior correction.