Comparison of the lowest instrumented, stable, and lower end vertebrae in "single overhang" thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: anterior versus posterior spinal fusion.

Study Design: A retrospective multicenter study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the lowest instrumented, stable, and lower end vertebrae in patients with "single overhang" thoracic (main thoracic) curves treated with anterior or posterior spinal fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: Previous studies have shown "saving" fusion levels with anterior spinal fusion, as opposed to posterior spinal fusion; however, to our knowledge, none of these studies evaluated the relative position to the lower end vertebra to compare study groups accurately.