The study entitled "Impact of surgical site infection on surgical outcomes in adult spinal deformity: a matched control study" was chosen as the best communication at the http://www.spinesurgeons.ac.uk/" British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS) 2017 Congress , held this March in Manchester, UK. The http://en.vhir.org/portal1/grup-presentacio.asp?s=recerca&contentid=187107&idrefer=187108 Spine Research Unit led by Dr. Ferran Pellisé, conducted the study at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).The awarded presentation, studies extensively the interaction between infection - a known and treatable morbid complication - and the outcome after Adult Spinal Deformity surgery. It was presented by Dr. Sleiman Haddad, a former Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery resident of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and current Spinal Surgery fellow at Queen ós Medical Centre in Nottingham.According to Dr. Pellisé, the presented work "recognizes the impact of the infection on the clinical outcome during the first postoperative year, but after its resolution, the infection does not seem to alter the final clinical results. The infection also doesn't reduce the benefit adult spinal deformity patient experience after surgery ". "Accordingly - he explains -, these findings could help clinicians during decision making and allow them to better counsel patients undergoing these majors surgeries".The development and validation of the study were carried out with a prospective database of more than 800 patients surgically treated for adult spinal deformity. For the purpose of the study, a clinical matching was carried out between patients with infection and others with similar demographic and surgical characteristics but who did not suffer any infection. Intra-and postoperative surgical complications were recorded and patients were followed up clinically and with x-rays for a minimum of two years.The infection was associated to a higher risk of developing other major complications as well as a longer hospital stay and a greater rate of unplanned readmissions and revisions for causes not directly related to the infection. This increase in the postoperative morbidity was reflected in the patients' reported outcome measures up to the first year after surgery. However, the impact of the infection seemed to be diluted by the second year. Patients in the infected group benefitted from the index surgery similarly to their non-infected counterparts. This benefit was maintained beyond the last follow-up. The correction of the deformity was equally successful in the two groups.The presented study is part of the PhD thesis of Dr. Haddad, directed by Dr. Pellisé together with Dr. Dolors Rodríguez Pardo and Dr. Carles Pigrau of the http://www.vhebron.net/en/infeccioses" Infectious Diseases Service. It is one of many projects carried out within the European Spine Study Group (ESSG), an international research group, led by Dr. Pellisé and coordinated from the VHIR. The group was founded in 2010 and now includes 6 major European spinal surgery units focusing on the spinal deformity of the adult. The current award adds to a growing list of international recognitions to the scientific work of the group.