Guan-Din Method A Novel Surgical Technique for Selective Thoracic Fusion to Maximize the Rate of Selective Thoracic Fusion and Compensatory Correction

Study Design. Retrospective radiographical review. Objective. To evaluate the outcome of selective thoracic fusion (STF) by using the Guan-Din method for the treatment of major thoracic compensatory lumbar (MTCL) curves. Summary of Background Data. Performing STF for MTCL curves is to minimize the loss of lumbar motion and the risk of lumbar degeneration or pain. Surgical treatment of MTCL curves aims to maximize the rate of STF for MTCL curves while optimizing instrumental thoracic and compensatory lumbar correction. The Guan-Din method has been demonstrated to be able to enhance the lumbar curve’s capacity for spontaneous correction and broaden the current curve criteria of MTCL curves for STF.