Current status of anterior spine surgery for scoliosis.

The greatest need for anterior spine surgery is for those cases that have neurological involvement with pressure or stress forces exerted on the spinal cord. With anterior decompression excising anomalous bone, shortening the spine with posterior osteomies, and correction with Harrington instrumentation, many of these cases were protected against neurological sequelae as well as correction of the deformity. Anterior spine reconstruction is a 2-stage procedure. The procedure protects against damage to the blood supply, untethers the spinal cord, corrects deformity, and stabilizes the spinal column. As more cases that can benefit from anterior spine correction of scoliosis are recognized, the expertise to deal with these lesions continues to grow.