The Clinical Significance of the Lowest Instrumented Vertebra in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Scott Yang; Burt Yaszay; Jennifer Bauer

doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-00152

The Clinical Significance of the Lowest Instrumented Vertebra in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2024 May 14. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-00152. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Scott Yang¹, Burt Yaszay, Jennifer Bauer

Affiliation

¹ From the Department of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA.

PMID: 38748903
DOI: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-00152

Abstract

Selecting the lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) in fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is potentially the most nuanced decision a surgeon has to make. This article reviews the literature on the range-of-motion loss related to the LIV, ability to return to sports based on LIV, correlation between LIV and disk degeneration, and short-term and long-term clinical outcomes related to LIV.