Principles of minimally invasive surgery for thoracolumbar trauma

Minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of thoracolumbar trauma are becoming more and more popular as improvements in radiographic navigation, microscopic visualization / magnification and instrumentation have come along. In this paper, we examine some of the newer techniques coming into use and compare these with the established principles of minimally invasive spinal surgery "done right". It is hoped that the reader will then be able to adequately address the appropriateness of incorporation of these and future techniques into their practice.