ABSTRACT
Surgical management of scoliosis in Neurofibromatosis type I may be challenging at times especially when dealing with dystrophic curves. We highlight the importance of meticulous study of the radiological imaging and careful pre-operative planning in a patient with dystrophic scoliosis. Key Words: neurofibromatosis scoliosis; dystrophic curve; rib-head excision
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Patients with Type I neurofibromatosis scoliosis with intra-canal rib head protrusion are extremely rare. Current knowledge regarding the diagnosis and treatment for this situation are insufficient. The purpose of this study is to share our experience in the diagnosis and surgical treatments for such unique deformities. METHODS: Six patients with Type I neurofibromatosis scoliosis with rib head dislocation into the spinal canal were diagnosed at our institution. Posterior instrumentation and spinal fusion without intra-canal rib head resection via a posterior-only approach was performed for deformity correction and rib head extraction. The efficacy and outcomes of the surgery were evaluated by measurements before, immediately and 24 months after the surgery using the following parameters: coronal spinal Cobb angle, apex rotation and kyphosis of the spine and the intra-canal rib head position. Post-operative complications, surgery time and blood loss were also evaluated. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for at least 24 months post-operatively. The three dimensional spinal deformity was significantly improved and the intra-canal rib head was significantly extracted from the canal immediately after the surgery. At follow-up 24 months after surgery, solid fusions were achieved along the fusion segments, and the deformity corrections and rib head positions were well maintained. There were no surgery-related complications any time after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic examinations are needed to identify patients with Type I neurofibromatosis scoliosis with rib head dislocation into the canal who can be treated by posterior-only spinal fusion without rib head resection. .
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Joint Dislocations/surgery , Neurofibromatosis 1/surgery , Ribs/surgery , Spinal Canal/surgery , Spinal Fusion/methods , Joint Dislocations , Follow-Up Studies , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Neurofibromatosis 1 , Observer Variation , Operative Time , Rotation , Ribs , Scoliosis , Scoliosis/surgery , Spinal Canal , Time Factors , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Instrumentation of anterior vertebral body screws has become an important approach for treatment of unstable fracture or curvature of the spine, but little attention has been paid to the starting point of placing the screws and variability of the rib head position. We analyzed the variability of rib head position in a Chinese population in terms of the spinal canal and vertebral body using computed tomography (CT). Images from transverse CT scan of the T4-T12 vertebral bodies of 30 normal individuals were 3D reconstructed, and analyzed for measurement of parameters, which included: 1) distance between the left (or right) anterior border of the rib head and the posterior (or anterior) margin of the vertebral body [L(R )ARHP(A)VB], 2) left (or right) transverse dimension [L(R)TD], 3) left (or right) posterior (or anterior) safe angle [L(R)P(A)SA], and 4) distance between the inferior border of the left (or right) rib head and the superior (or inferior) end-plate in the sagittal plane [IL(R)RHS(I)EP]. The ARHPVB, PSA, and IRHIEP gradually decrease, but ARHAVB, TD, ASA, and IRHSEP gradually increase from T4 to T12, indicating that the position of the rib head changes from a more anterior position to a more posterior position and from a more superior position to a more inferior position as the number of the vertebra increases. Our study has provided comprehensive reference guide for accurate and safe instrumentation of vertebral body screws in treating related spine diseases.
La instrumentación del cuerpo anterior vertebral con tornillos ha sido una vía importante para el tratamiento de las fracturas inestables y curvaturas de la columna, pero se ha prestado poca atención a la zona de colocación de los tornillos y la variabilidad de la posición de la cabeza costal. Se analizó la variabilidad de la posición de la cabeza de la costilla en una población de China en relación al canal vertebral y cuerpo vertebral mediante tomografía computarizada (TC). Imágenes de cortes transversales de TC correspondientes a los cuerpos vertebrales T4-T12 de 30 individuos normales fueron reconstruidos tridimensionalmente, y se analizó la medida de algunos parámetros: 1) la distancia entre el margen anterior izquierdo (o derecho) de la cabeza de la costilla y el margen posterior (o anterior) del cuerpo vertebral [L(R)ARHP(A)VB], 2) Dimensión transversa izquierda (o derecha) [L(R)TD], 3) ángulo de seguridad izquierdo (o derecho) posterior (o anterior) [L(R)P(A)SA], y 4) la distancia entre el margen inferior de la cabeza de la costilla izquierda (o derecha) y la placa terminal superior (o inferior) en el plano sagital [IL(R)RHS(I)EP]. El ARHPVB, PSA, y IRHIEP disminuyeron gradualmente, pero ARHAVB, TD, ASA, y IRHSEP aumentaron gradualmente de T4 a T12, lo que indica que la posición de la cabeza de la costilla cambia desde una posición más anterior a una posición más posterior y de una posición más superior a una posición más inferior a medida que aumenta el número de vértebras. Nuestro estudio ha proporcionado completa guía de referencia para la instrumentación precisa y segura de tornillos en el cuerpo vertebral para el tratamiento de enfermedades relacionadas con la columna vertebral.