State of the Evidence for Proximal Junctional Kyphosis Prevention in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Systematic Review of Current Literature
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2025
Modified Posterior Vertebral Column Resection for Patients with Thoracolumbar Kyphotic Deformity
Published on: September 16, 2022
Nathan A Shlobin1, Nancy Le2, Justin K Scheer3
1Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Objective:
Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) is a widely recognized complication of adult spinal deformity surgery, and various PJK prevention strategies have been reported in recent years. The goal of the present study was to perform a systematic review of the PJK prevention strategies, report on their effectiveness, and delineate future directions for investigation regarding PJK prevention.
Methods:
A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus to identify studies examining PJK prevention techniques. The titles and abstracts were screened, and those studies progressing to the full text review were screened using prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies were organized thematically for analysis.
Results:
The search identified a total of 382 studies, 23 of which were included. The overall quality of evidence was level III. The reported PJK prevention strategies included optimization of postoperative sagittal alignment by avoiding over- or undercorrection, prophylactic vertebral cement augmentation, the use of a transverse process hook at upper instrumented vertebra, the use of more flexible rod constructs, novel pedicle screw insertion techniques, the use of junctional tethers, and teriparatide therapy, which seemed to reduce the PJK rates.
Conclusions:
The reports of PJK prevention strategies were heterogeneous, and high-level evidence regarding any particular technique remains limited. Further development of additional PJK prevention techniques and validation of their efficacy in clinical practice are needed to optimize the outcomes of adult spinal deformity surgery.
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