This special series on “Adult Spinal Deformity: Principles, Approaches, and Advances” is co-edited by Dr. Mark J. Lambrechts and Dr. Munish C. Gupta, from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Mark J. Lambrechts, MD
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Spine Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

Dr. Lambrechts is an assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his medical degree from Tulane University, in New Orleans, LA and he completed his residency training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, MO. Dr. Lambrechts completed a 2-year fellowship in orthopaedic spine surgery at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, in Philadelphia, PA, the only fellowship in the country that offers the dual fellowship.

Dr. Lambrechts has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, most of which are related to optimizing outcomes in degenerative spine surgery or spinal trauma surgery. He has received multiple awards, including the Best Resident/Fellow Research award at the North American Spine Society and the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS). He has also received additional awards for his basic science research and clinical research at CSRS and the Global Spine Congress.

Munish C. Gupta, MD
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Washington University Orthopaedics, St. Louis, MO, USA

Dr. Gupta is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He specializes in adult and pediatric spine surgery, with a focus on complex spinal reconstructive surgery for treatment of all spinal deformities of the lumbar, thoracic and cervical regions. Dr. Gupta has over 23 years of experience in treating spinal deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis and Flatback syndrome.

Dr. Gupta is a member of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), North American Spine Society (NASS), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Orthopaedic Association, National Scoliosis Foundation, American College of Surgeons, Twentieth Century Orthopedics, Federation of Spine Associations, and Scoliosis Association, Inc. He has published numerous articles, book chapters, research projects and presented nationally and internationally, focusing on spine disorders. Dr. Gupta has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® from 2009 to 2018.

Series outline:

1. Cervicothoracic deformity: angles to know and predictors for optimal functional improvement
2. Updates on the prevention and treatment of cervicothoracic distal junctional failure
3. Optimizing the approach for cervical deformity - benefits and drawbacks of anterior, posterior and combined approaches
4. Thoracolumbar deformity - critical appraisal of radiographs, understanding the angles, and predictors of optimal patient improvement
5. Updates on the current concepts to prevent thoracolumbar proximal junctional kyphosis and failure
6. Optimizing the approach for thoracolumbar deformity - when and how to perform anterior releases
7. The benefits to combined anterior-posterior, lateral-posterior, and all posterior approaches
8. Posterior column osteotomies - technical pearls, complication rates and identifying the ideal patient
9. Minimally invasive techniques to spinal deformity - Does it work and what are the advantages and drawbacks
10. Biologics in adult spinal deformity
11. What is the optimal rod construct? When are two rods insufficient?

Disclosure:
The series “Adult Spinal Deformity: Principles, Approaches, and Advances” was commissioned by the editorial office, AME Surgical Journal without any sponsorship or funding. Mark J. Lambrechts and Munish C. Gupta are serving as the unpaid Guest Editors for the series.