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

J Am Acad Orthop Surg · Sep 15 2024 · Review

Yang S, Yaszay B, Bauer J

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

Spine Sports Medicine

SUMMARY — THE REDUCTIONThis review examines how choice of lowest instrumented vertebra in AIS fusion affects range of motion, return to sports, adjacent disk degeneration, and long-term clinical outcomes.
Abstract, as published

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.

Featured in the 2026-08-01 issue.

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