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Flatback Syndrome - Sagittal Imbalance and Management

Adult Spinal Deformity

A 62-year-old woman presents with progressive difficulty standing upright. She was previously fused from L2 to S1 for degenerative scoliosis 10 years ago using Harrington distraction instrumentation. She describes significant fatigue and low back pain that worsens throughout the day. She cannot stand erect without flexing her knees and hips. Regarding flatback syndrome:

Mark each as TRUE or FALSE

A

Flatback syndrome describes loss of normal lumbar lordosis resulting in positive sagittal imbalance;...

B

Historical causes include Harrington distraction instrumentation which flattened the lumbar spine; m...

C

Normal sagittal alignment shows the C7 plumb line (sagittal vertical axis, SVA) falling 10 cm anteri...

D

Pelvic incidence (PI) is a fixed morphological parameter that determines required lumbar lordosis; t...

E

Symptoms include: inability to stand erect, stooped posture, low back pain worse with prolonged stan...

Answer the questions to see explanations

Click T (True) or F (False) for each option