Advances in Spine Surgery

Technological advances in the field of spine surgery have most often involved instrumentation. In recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on variable hookscrew-rod systems, the prototype of which is the Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation (CDI). This French-designed system and similar ones such as the Texas-Scottish Rite (TSRH), or the Isola, provide significantly better fixation and rigidity than has ever been possible, and they allow many patients to be spared the discomfort and inconvenience of post-operative brace or cast support. These features are particularly important for older and chronically ill patients, whose often difficult problems can also be addressed more safely and effectively with this new technology.