Posterior spinal fusion

Preoperative posteroanterior (PA) and postoperative PA and lateral radiographs (panels A, B, and C, respectively) of a patient who underwent posterior spinal fusion and segmental spinal instrumentation with pedicle screws. Note on the postoperative lateral how the use of segmental instrumentation allows contoured rods to be attached to the spine to better maintain normal physiologic sagittal plane curves (thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis). By orthopedic convention, scoliosis images are viewed as if looking from the patient's back; the left side of the image is the left side of the patient.