Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 10, 2025
Minimally Invasive Treatment for Thoracolumbar Burst Fracture Using Sagittal Alignment Screws and A Trauma Reduction Device
Published on: November 8, 2024
Effectiveness of Kyphosis Reduction Using Cantilever Method in Thoracolumbar Spondylitis Tuberculosis: A Short-Term
Didik Librianto1, Ismail Hadisoebroto Dilogo2, Achmad Fauzi Kamal2
1Orthopedic Spine Surgeon, Fatmawati General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Background:
Kyphosis in spondylitis tuberculosis (STb) is more than just a cosmetic issue. It has a potentially detrimental effect on both spine-associated structures and cardiopulmonary function. It can be corrected in any stage of STb; however, the corrective surgery is challenging, especially in the late case, in which the additional stiffness of the spine can come into consideration. To date, the cantilever technique is still a gold standard for sagittal plane deformity correction. However, no study to date has explored its effectiveness for thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity, especially that caused by spondylitis tuberculosis.
Methods:
This is a retrospective study of 16 consecutive cases of spondylitis tuberculosis with thoracolumbar kyphosis that underwent corrective surgery in our center in the period of 2020-2021. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the cantilever technique that we use for kyphotic correction in thoracolumbar STb patients.
Results:
At the 3-months follow-up, the mean Cobb angle was 14.6°±10.27°, with the mean gain of 20.90°±12.00° and positively correlate with the thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK) correction (68.69%, r = 0.654, p = 0.001). The mean thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and sagittal vertebral axis were 30.6°±13.08°, 39.4°±16.02°, and 1.4±4.09 cm, respectively, with sagittal Cobb difference of 12.70±9.85.
Conclusion:
The kyphotic Cobb angle reduction by cantilever technique in the thoracolumbar area significantly improved the thoracolumbar kyphosis and realign the spinal sagittal axis. Thus, the cantilever technique remains the gold standard for sagittal plane deformity correction which can be applied for kyphotic deformity correction in thoracolumbar STb cases.
