The aims of spinal deformity surgery are to achieve balance, relieve pain and prevent recurrence or worsening of the deformity.The main types of osteotomies are the Smith-Petersen osteotomy (SPO), pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO), bone-disc-bone osteotomy (BDBO) and vertebral column resection (VCR), in order of increasing complexity.SPO is a posterior column osteotomy in which the posterior ...

It is wrong to believe that back pain only burdens adults: the yearly incidence during growth ranges from 10-20%, continuously increasing from childhood to adolescence. Rapid growth-related muscular dysbalance and insufficiency, poor physical condition in an increasingly sedentary adolescent community or - vice versa - high level sports activities, account for the most prevalent functional pain...

The history of the recognition of spondylolisthesis and of the illvestigation iIltO its cause makes interesting reading. Herbiniaux (1782), a Belgian obstetrician, was possibly the first to draw attention to this lesion, although in 1741 Andry had described the cause ofa hollow back as a warping of the spine inwards. Originally attention was attracted to it as a cause ofobstruction in labour. D...