Preliminary results of osteotomy with short fusion and dual growing rod technique for congenital scoliosis / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the clinical outcomes of the hybrid technique of posterior osteotomy with short segmental fusion and dual growing rod technique for severe rigid congenital scoliosis.Methods Seven patients (2males,5 females) undergoing this hybrid technique for severe rigid congenital scoliosis in our hospital from 2006 to 2011 were retrospectively studied.The average age was 5.9 years (range,2-10).The Risser sign of all the patients was 0.The follow-up time was 59.4 months (range,36-83 months).The patients' charts were reviewed.The analysis included age at initial surgery and the latest follow-up,number and frequency of lengthening,and complications.Radiographic evaluation included measured changes in scoliosis Cobb angle,thoracic kyphosis,lumbar lordosis,trunk shift,length of T1-S1 and instrumentation.Results All patients were treated with posterior osteotomy with short segmental fusion and dual growing rod technique.There were 48 total surgeries,41 of which were lengthening procedures,for 7 patients.The average lengthening was 5.9 per patient.The mean scoliosis improved from 81.4° to 40.1 ° after initial surgery and was 41.1 ° at the final follow-up.The average T1-S1 length was of 1.12 cm per year.The Campbell's space available for lung ratio increased from 0.87 to 0.97.Conclusion Osteotomy with short fusion could help to improve the correction of the growing rod and eliminate the large asymmetric growth potential around the apex,with little influence to the length of the spine.Dual growing rod technique could maintain correction achieved at initial surgery while allowing spinal growth to continue.However,this technique is relatively more aggressive and technique demanding.And the patients need numbers of surgeries.