Cifosis patológica en la columna pediátrica / Pathologic kyphosis in the pediatric spine

En este manuscrito se revisan las diferentes causas que producen aumento de la cifosis torácica (dorso curvo), específicamente en niños y adolescentes. Las causas del dorso curvo que se analizan en este artículo son: Dorso curvo postural, idiopático, neuromuscular, congénito y enfermedad de Scheuermann. Se centra en los factores que producen su aparición, características de su evolución y tratamiento.

This manuscript reviews the different causes that lead to increased thoracic kyphosis, specifically in children and adolescents. The causes of increased thoracic kyphosis that will be discussed in this article are: postural, idiopathic, neuromuscular, congenital, and Scheuermann's disease. This paper focuses on the factors that produce its appearance, characteristics of its evolution, and treatment.

Escoliosis idiopática del adolescente de bajo grado / Low grade adolescent idioaphic scoliosis

La escoliosis idiopática del adolescente (eia) es la forma de escoliosis más frecuente, afecta al 1 a 3% de los adolescentes. Su etiología aún no está totalmente definida siendo la causa genética la más probable. El objetivo principal del tratamiento es evitar la progresión de la curva y por ende prescindir del tratamiento quirúrgico. Tratamiento en curvas no severas dependerá de la madurez esquelética del paciente y de la magnitud de la curva, siendo la observación en curvas leves y el uso de corsé en las moderadas los tratamientos más aceptados.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (ais) is the most frequent form of scoliosis, affecting 1 to 3% of adolescent. Its etiology is not yet fully defined, being the genetic factor the most important. The main objective of the treatment is to avoid the progression of the curve and therefore dispense with surgical treatment. Treatment in non-severe curves will depend of the skeletal maturity of the patient and the magnitude of the curve, being the observation in slight curves and the use of corset in the moderate ones the most accepted treatments.

Dolor lumbar en niños / Low back pain in children

El dolor lumbar en niños ha ido en aumento en su prevalencia en los últimos años. Si bien la causa del dolor lumbar generalmente se relaciona con alguna condición que resuelve espontáneamente, o a períodos de desarrollo y crecimiento acelerado, se deben descartar una serie de patologías presentes en este rango etario que conllevan severas implicancias para la adultez. Se ha constatado que la incidencia del dolor lumbar aumenta a lo largo de los años de vida del niño, y se espera que al llegar a la adolescencia, un 10-30% de la población pediátrica total haya experimentado dolor lumbar en algún momento de su vida. A pesar de la creciente incidencia, un estudio prospectivo en niños con dolor lumbar reveló, que menos de un 30% de los pacientes tuvo un diagnóstico definitivo, o con una etiología clara. Dentro del estudio del dolor lumbar son esenciales una historia clínica detallada, con caracterización del dolor, y presencia de banderas rojas. El examen físico debe ser completo, y en caso de hallazgos positivos, debe complementarse con estudio imagenológico. Hay que considerar que un gran porcentaje de los pacientes presentarán un dolor lumbar de carácter inespecífico atribuible a tensión muscular y factores psicosociales. Sin embargo, debe realizarse un seguimiento adecuado hasta la resolución sintomática. El estudio debe ir dirigido a descartar aquellas patologías de mayor complejidad, teniendo en consideración los factores de riesgo asociados: edad, actividad física, peso, factores psicosociales, entre otros. La radiografía nos orientará y ayudará a descartar la mayoría de las patologías prevalentes en este grupo etario, profundizando en el estudio, dependiendo de los hallazgos clínicos y de la anamnesis.

Lumbar pain in children has increased in frequency during the last years. Even though the primary cause for this pain is related to benign conditions, or accelerated bursts of growth, there are certain pathologies to be discarded since they can have an impact during adulthood. The incidence of lumbar pain increases with age, and it has been reported that by the time of adolescence up to 10 to 30% of the pediatric population will have experimented lumbar pain at some point in their lives. In spite of this increasing incidence, a report revealed that less than 30% of patients had a definitive diagnosis, o a clear etiology. It is of importance, during the study of lumbar pain, to have a good clinical history, characterization of pain, and thorough physical examination, and in the case of positive findings, an imagenology study must be completed. We have to consider that a large percentage of patients will experience unspecific lumbar pain, probably caused by muscle contraction and psychosocial factors. Nevertheless, close follow up must be made until the symptoms are resolved. The study must be directed at diseases that are more complex, considering the risk factors associated: age, physical activity, weight, psychosocial factors, among others. Radiography will help to guide the study and rule out the most prevalent pathology, according to the history and clinical findings.

Error Measurement Between Anatomical Porcine Spine, CT Images, and 3D Printing.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: 3D printers are increasingly used in medical applications such as surgical planning, creation of implants and prostheses, and medical education. For the creation of reliable 3D printed models of the vertebral column, processing must be performed on CT images. This processing must be assessed and validated so that any error of the printed model can be recognized and minimized. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to perform this validation, 10 CT scans of porcine lumbar spinal vertebra were used, which were then dissected and scanned again. CT image processing was performed to obtain a mesh and perform 3D printing. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference among the four different levels of vertebrae measurements (first CT images, second CT images, anatomical piece of porcine bone and 3D printing of porcine bone; One Way repeated measure ANOVA, F < F_crit, p value > α = 0.05). The Intraclass Correlation also revealed a mean intraclass correlation coefficient (3,1) = 0.9553, which describes the reliability of all four levels in addition to the reliability of the data between porcine samples subjected to different levels of measurement. This shows that the average error is less than 1 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The measurements of models created with 3D printers using the pipeline described in this paper have an average error of 0.60 mm with CT images and 0.73 mm with anatomical piece. Thus, 3D printed models accurately reflect in vivo bones and provide accurate 3D impressions to assist in surgical planning.

Observations from a nationwide vigilance program in medical care for spinal muscular atrophy patients in Chile.

METHODS: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has gained much attention in the last few years because of the approval of the first intrathecal treatment for this neurodegenerative disease. Latin America needs to develop the demographics of SMA, timely access to diagnosis, and appropriate following of the standards of care recommendations for patients. These are essential steps to guide health policies. This was a descriptive study of a cohort of SMA patients from all over Chile. We analyzed the clinical, motor functional, and social data, as well as the care status of nutritional, respiratory and skeletal conditions. We also measured the SMN2 copy number in this population. RESULTS: We recruited 92 patients: 50 male; 23 SMA type-1, 36 SMA type-2 and 33 SMA type-3. The median age at genetic diagnosis was 5, 24 and 132 months. We evaluated the SMN2 copy number in 57 patients. The SMA type-1 patients were tracheostomized and fed by gastrostomy in a 69.6 % of cases, 65% of SMA type-2 patients received nocturnal noninvasive ventilation, and 37% of the whole cohort underwent scoliosis surgery. CONCLUSION: Ventilatory care for SMA type-1 is still based mainly on tracheostomy. This Chilean cohort of SMA patients had timely access to genetic diagnosis, ventilatory assistance, nutritional support, and scoliosis surgery. In this series, SMA type-1 is underrepresented, probably due to restrictions in access to early diagnosis and the high and early mortality rate.

Observations from a nationwide vigilance program in medical care for spinal muscular atrophy patients in Chile / Atrofia muscular espinal en Chile, resultados de un programa de atención médica nacional

ABSTRACT Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has gained much attention in the last few years because of the approval of the first intrathecal treatment for this neurodegenerative disease. Latin America needs to develop the demographics of SMA, timely access to diagnosis, and appropriate following of the standards of care recommendations for patients. These are essential steps to guide health policies. Methods This was a descriptive study of a cohort of SMA patients from all over Chile. We analyzed the clinical, motor functional, and social data, as well as the care status of nutritional, respiratory and skeletal conditions. We also measured the SMN2 copy number in this population. Results We recruited 92 patients: 50 male; 23 SMA type-1, 36 SMA type-2 and 33 SMA type-3. The median age at genetic diagnosis was 5, 24 and 132 months. We evaluated the SMN2 copy number in 57 patients. The SMA type-1 patients were tracheostomized and fed by gastrostomy in a 69.6 % of cases, 65% of SMA type-2 patients received nocturnal noninvasive ventilation, and 37% of the whole cohort underwent scoliosis surgery. Conclusion Ventilatory care for SMA type-1 is still based mainly on tracheostomy. This Chilean cohort of SMA patients had timely access to genetic diagnosis, ventilatory assistance, nutritional support, and scoliosis surgery. In this series, SMA type-1 is underrepresented, probably due to restrictions in access to early diagnosis and the high and early mortality rate.

La Atrofia Muscular Espinal (AME) ha concitado mucha atención en los últimos 2 años debido a la aprobación del primer tratamiento intratecal para esta enfermedad neurodegenerativa. América Latina necesita desarrollar la demografía de AME, un acceso oportuno al diagnóstico y un seguimiento apropiado de los pacientes que incorporen los estándares de atención recomendados por expertos. Estos son pasos esenciales para orientar las futuras políticas de salud en esta enfermedad. Métodos Este es un estudio descriptivo de una cohorte de pacientes con AME de todo el país. Se analizaron los datos clínicos, motores, funcionales, sociales y el estado nutricional, respiratorio y esquelético de los pacientes. También medimos el número de copias del gen SMN2 en esta población. Resultados se reclutaron 92 pacientes, 50 varones; 23 AME tipo 1, 36 AME tipo 2 y 33 AME tipo 3. La edad media al diagnóstico genético fue de 5, 24 y 132 meses respectivamente. Evaluamos el número de copias de SMN2 en 57 pacientes. Un 69,6% de los pacientes con AME tipo 1 estaban traqueostomízados y gastrostomizados , un 65% de los pacientes con AME tipo 2 usaban ventilación nocturna no invasiva y el 37% de toda la cohorte presentaba una cirugía de escoliosis. Conclusión Esta cohorte chilena de pacientes con AME tuvo acceso oportuno al diagnóstico genético, asistencia ventilatoria, apoyo nutricional y cirugía de escoliosis, sin embargo, la atención ventilatoria para AME tipo 1 continúa aun basándose principalmente en la traqueostomía. En esta serie, AME tipo 1 está subrepresentada, probablemente debido a las restricciones en el acceso al diagnóstico temprano y la tasa de mortalidad alta y temprana.

Use of Three-dimensional Printing in Orthopaedic Surgical Planning.

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a technique based on overlapping layers of a material (eg, plastic, clay, and metal). The widespread implementation of 3D printers has resulted in a notable increase in use. Fields such as construction, engineering, and medicine benefit from this technique. AIM: The use of 3D printed scale models permits better surgical planning and results. METHODS: The models were created based on CT images of seven patients (age range, 5 to 61 years) with different pathologies who were candidates for surgery. RESULTS: Surgical time decreased as a result of detailed surgical planning with printed models. This technique also was associated with a decrease in bleeding, a reduction in the amount of anesthesia required, and greater precision. In some patients, a change in surgical strategy was noted, thus allowing for a reduction in the number of surgeries and the aggressiveness of surgery. Finally, the preoperative practice (virtual and physical osteotomies using cutting tools) that was performed in two cases allowed the surgeon to evaluate the different approach alternatives and establish the best strategy. CONCLUSIONS: The use of 3D-printed anatomic models has improved surgical planning, especially for patients in whom the conventional techniques are insufficient for establishing a proper strategy. The extra information provided by 3D-printed models can lead to a better intervention strategy, which is beneficial for patients because it decreases the risks, procedure times, and recovery times.