Thoracolumbar Anterior Strut Fusion Techniques Following Corpectomy for Trauma

I INTRODUCTION The ideal treatment methods for thoracolumbar spinal instability have been debated for many years. A conservative approach adapted by Stanger, Nicoll, and Guttmann was well accepted by the majority of physicians in the middle of the twentieth century (1-3). A more aggressive surgical approach (i.e., fusion, described in 1911) was found to be effective in the management of spinal tuberculosis (4,5). Modern contemporary surgical techniques have led to the explosion of sophisticated posterior segmental internal fixation and anterior column replacement devices, which have found utilization in the treatment of a variety of spinal disorders unresponsive to conservative treatment.