Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patient specific (PS) technology has become popular in the field of spine surgery, as it gives surgeons control over the manufacturing of implants based on a patient's anatomy. Patient specific surgical guides, preoperative planning software, and patient specific implants - such as rods and cages, have demonstrated promising results in the literature for helping surgeons achieve spinal alignment goals. METHODS: A review of the literature regarding PS technology in spine surgery for the correction of spinal deformity was performed and is compiled here. RESULTS: A description of the PS tools currently used for deformity correction and treatment of degenerative spine pathology with example cases are included in this manuscript. CONCLUSIONS: The use of PS technology in spine surgery is an important development in the field that should continue to be studied.