[Principles of surgical treatment of upper thoracic and cervicothoracic kyphosis]

Idiopathic upper thoracic and cervicothoracic kyphoses are rare. More frequently they are the consequence of spinal instability as in neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease), after laminectomies, in tumors, congenital disorders, spondylodiscitis, and fractures. Neurologic problems with severe pareses complicate these deformities. Anterior bone loss (fracture, tumor, spondylodiscitis), posterior instability (post-laminectomy kyphosis) or a combination of both are responsible for the deformity. The operative treatment of the anatomically unfavorable localization requires great experience in spinal surgery; the procedures often are salvage surgeries. In the absence of a successful conservative treatment, early posterior/anterior or anterior/posterior reconstruction of the sagittal profile with primary stable implants is necessary to minimize the risk of renewed surgery. Transplantation of stable bone grafts such as the fibula is a precondition for postoperative treatment without external support. The indication is restrictive in the presence of malignant primary and secondary tumors with poor prognosis. Restitution of existing neurologic deficits is unpredictable.