The role of minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of adult spinal deformity.

Many surgeons use minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approaches for treatment of patients with adult degenerative spinal deformity. The feasibility and efficacy of these techniques in the treatment of certain subtypes of degenerative deformities have been reported. In this article, several MIS techniques are discussed and an established 6-level treatment algorithm (MiSLAT) is presented, to help guide spinal surgeons in the use of MIS techniques for the treatment of patients with degenerative deformity. MIS treatment of MiSLAT level I to IV deformities is recommended, whereas level V and VI deformities require more traditional open approaches for adequate deformity correction.