Blog Post: Use of Unilateral Magnetically Controlled Growing Rod (MAGEC) in severe, progressive infantile scoliosis
6-17-2024 Below is a case showing use of a unilateral growing rod in a young patient. Above are the radiographs of a 3-year-old male whose scoliosis has progressed despite casting and brace wear. Options were presented and the decision was to proceed with operative management. The surgical treatment was a single rod, placed on the […]
Blog Post: The Impact of Lumbar Partial Microdiscectomy in Adolescents on PROMIS Pain, Physical Function, and Mental Health Domains
5-31-2024 The below talk was presented at the European-Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America Combined Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on May 10, 2024 The conclusion of this research is Lumbar Partial Microdiscectomy (LPM) for Vertebral Apophyseal Ring Fractures (VARF) has improved Pain Interference and Mobility for patients up to 2 years after surgery, with […]
Isolated Thoracic Fusion for Idiopathic Scoliosis, T2-T12
4-6-2024 Above is a 15-year-old female with a right thoracic idiopathic scoliosis measuring 55 degrees. His Risser stage is 4 and Sanders stage is 7, which means there is some, but not a lot, of vertical spinal growth remaining until she reaches skeletal maturity.From the side there is a lower amount of thoracic kyphosis (25 […]
Blog Post: Severe Scoliosis Treated with Preoperative Halo-Gravity Traction and Posterior Spinal Fusion
3-31-2024 Above is an 11 year-old female with severe, untreated scoliosis of 143 degrees. Notice the severe shortening of the distance between her arms and hips. There is significant diminution of her lung volumes due to the shortening. With simply laying down on her back, the deformity improves to 104 degrees and if some force […]
ApiFix
3-12-2024 This is a 10 year old female with idiopathic scoliosis. Radiographs measured out a 64 degree right thoracic curve. To determine the treatment options some of the additional information is crucial. Specifically, the amount of growth remaining which is best determined by the Sanders classification. This patient is a 3- which means the spine […]
Is Physical Therapy necessary AFTER Posterior Spinal Fusions for Idiopathic Scoliosis?
3-12-2024 [Slide 1] So you or your child just went through a four-hour posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis, a three-day hospital stay, has stopped their postoperative prescription pain meds, is finally sleeping and eating normally and your thoughts are about how to get back “to normal”. What is the next step in recovery? Commonly the […]
Congenital Scoliosis, Osteotomies, Posterior Spinal Fusion, Scoliosis, Scoliosis – General, Vertebral Column Resection
Management of Complex, Mixed-Type Congenital Scoliosis Using a 3-Column Osteotomy/Vertebral Column Resection
The case presented in this blog is an adolescent male, who is an active athlete and having back pain. It is easy to see the scoliosis in the upper part of the spine. The below picture demonstrates the impact of scoliosis on the shoulder and neck alignment. Due to the scoliosis which tips the head […]
Spine Podium Presentations at POSNA Annual Meeting, April 2023
Below is my list of the top 10 Pediatric Spine podium presentations presented at the last POSNA Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee (April 2023). The list is in no particular order. My disclaimer is that I most highly value the presentations, which affect clinical decision-making and patient outcomes from surgery. Topic #1: Anterior Vertebral Body […]
Another new publication in Spine Deformity
Severe Idiopathic Scoliosis, Treated with Preoperative Halo-Gravity Traction and then Posterior Spinal Fusion
The patient presented with the below scoliosis, no prior treatment. The proximal thoracic curve measured 57 degrees, and the main thoracic 91 degrees in skeletally mature patient. The patient has developed daily back pain, which is interfering with school and sporting activities. Not only does scoliosis cause chest asymmetry and back pain, but it can […]