Study design: Retrospective.
Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of S2 alar screws in surgery for correction of adult spinal deformity (ASD).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 23 patients (mean follow-up: 18.5 months, minimum 12 months) who underwent corrective surgery for ASD using S2 alar screws as anchors for instrumentation of lower vertebrae. The background of the patients and their spinopelvic parameters (pelvic incidence [PI], pelvic tilt [PT], lumbar lordosis [LL], thoracic kyphosis [TK], sagittal vertical axis [SVA], and PI-LL) were evaluated.
Results: LL was improved from 9.7 ± 20.5° and SVA from 141.0 ± 64.0 mm before surgery to 39.0 ± 9.6° and 51.7 ± 40.8 mm immediately after surgery, respectively, and 38.2 ± 12.7° and 70.5 ± 59.2 mm at final follow-up. In 13 patients without sufficient correction (postoperative PI-LL ≥10°), bone mineral density and postoperative LL were significantly less, and PI, PI-LL, and PT were significantly greater than in patients with postoperative PI-LL <10°, suggesting that these are risk factors for undercorrection. In 5 patients, SVA increased more than 40 mm during follow-up. Postoperative LL was significantly less (31.4° vs 41.0°) and postoperative PI-LL was significantly greater (21.6° vs 9.3°) in these patients, suggesting a PI-LL mismatch induces postoperative progression of global malalignment.
Conclusions: Use of S2 alar screws as anchors for instrumentation in ASD surgery should be restricted. Their use might be an option for patients with low PI, and without severe osteoporosis, in whom efficient surgical correction can be obtained.
Keywords: S2 alar screw; adult spinal deformity; spinopelvic parameter.