Osteotomies in the treatment of spinal deformities: indications, classification, and surgical planning

The surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity has been shown to offer superior clinical and radiographic outcomes compared with nonoperative approaches; furthermore, osteotomies are increasingly applied for treating spinal deformities. Establishing a plan for a patient suffering from marked spinal deformity is a matter of consideration of certain radiographic parameters which correlate with health-related quality of life scores, adherence to consistent principles of alignment and established formulas, and selecting the appropriate osteotomies. This is a review of the most recent work on vertebral osteotomies and includes a summary of a systematic and anatomically based osteotomy classification. A universal classification will facilitate communication, standardize outcomes research, and establish a framework upon which indications can be properly studied and described. Ongoing multicenter collaboration is certain to drive a more evidence-based approach to the complex clinical scenarios of patients suffering from spinal deformity.