Preliminary traction in the treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip.

The benefit of preliminary traction in the treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip has not been clearly demonstrated. We retrospectively analyzed the results of traction treatment of 90 dislocated hips in 72 patients. After a 3-week course of traction, patients underwent attempted closed reduction. Fifty-two hips (58%) were managed successfully by closed reduction, whereas 38 hips (42%) required primary open reduction. chi 2 analysis revealed no significant difference in either the rate of successful closed reduction or the incidence of avascular necrosis compared to recently published series in which preliminary traction was not used. On the basis of presentation radiographs and arthrograms, we were unable to identify a subgroup of patients that clearly benefited from the use of traction in the treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip.

Idiopathic scoliosis in children.

Idiopathic scoliosis is a common developmental spinal deformity that usually begins to develop from midchildhood to early adolescence. Although its etiology remains unknown, current research focuses on growth and dysfunction of the central nervous system. Radiography remains the standard of documentation of curve progression. Orthosis and surgical treatment are the only two methods that can alter the condition's natural history. Improved surgical techniques include the use of stronger fixation systems that attach dual rods to the posterior spinal elements at multiple vertebral locations. Improved techniques for blood loss control and replacement and for intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord function have increased the safety of surgical treatment.

Pancreatitis following scoliosis surgery in children and young adults.

Forty-four patients undergoing single-stage surgery for scoliosis were monitored for biochemical and clinical evidence of pancreatitis. Six patients (14%) developed elevation of both serum amylase and lipase levels. Four of these had symptoms or signs suggestive of pancreatitis. Mean intraoperative blood loss was significantly higher in the group with pancreatitis. No significant differences were noted with regard to age, surgical technique, degree of initial or residual deformity, or length of surgery. The patients with pancreatitis required a longer average period of fasting time. Patients with prolonged ileus or abdominal pain after scoliosis surgery should be investigated for possible pancreatitis.

Studies of an L-rod sublaminar wire spinal fusion.

The spine of a 25-year-old man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy was studied postmortem, 8 years after spine fusion with L-rods and sublaminar wires. The fusion was solid. Instrumentation appeared to have had no adverse effects on the spinal cord or meninges or in the epidural space. When wire removal from the spinal canal and fusion mass was studied, increased penetration of the wires into the spinal canal was noted.

Results of treatment of idiopathic scoliosis with the Charleston bending orthosis.

The authors present a preliminary retrospective review of the treatment of 32 patients with idiopathic scoliosis with the Charleston bending thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO), a new, low-profile spinal orthosis. At the onset of treatment, the patients' mean age was 12.5 years and the mean Risser stage was 0.4. Females achieved menarche at an mean of 1.8 months after starting orthotic treatment. Single structural curves were treated in all patients. At this time, 2 patients have failed treatment, their curves progressing 12 degrees and 8 degrees, respectively. An additional 11 patients have successfully completed treatment, having reached skeletal maturity with no more than 5 degrees of curve progression. Their mean curve change was a 2.2 degrees decrease. The other 19 patients remain under treatment. The Charleston bending TLSO is worn only during nighttime sleeping hours. It is well tolerated, with excellent patient compliance and low psychological stress, and it may be as successful at curve control as other orthoses. Experience with more patients and longer follow-up is needed.

Analysis of lumbar lordosis in posterior spine fusions for idiopathic scoliosis.

Previous reports are inconclusive regarding changes in the lumbar region after Harrington rod distraction and posterior spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of spinal fusion on the lumbar region, particularly the overall lumbar lordosis, the lumbar lordosis in and below the fused segment, the sacro-horizontal angle, and the sagittal plane alignment of the spine. Sixty-six patients under 21 years of age with idiopathic scoliosis who had spine fusion extending to the lumbar vertebrae using only Harrington distraction instrumentation were evaluated. The total lordosis, sacro-horizontal angle, and sagittal plane alignment remained relatively constant. The lordosis within the fusion decreased, and lordosis caudal to the fusion, including the last fused vertebra, increased as the lower hook placement site moved caudally.

Spinal fusion augmented by luque-rod segmental instrumentation for neuromuscular scoliosis.

Seventy-four patients who had deformity of the spine secondary to a neuromuscular disorder were treated using posterior fusion with Luque-rod segmental instrumentation. The mean curve was 73 degrees preoperatively and 38 degrees postoperatively. The mean loss of correction was 4 degrees at an average duration of follow-up of forty-two months (range, 2.0 to 7.3 years). Complications included one death, three deep wound infections, two pressure sores, six sets of broken rods, and one instance of distal rotation and migration of the rod. There were no major perioperative neurological complications. Failure of instrumentation occurred more frequently with 3/16-inch (4.8-millimeter) diameter than with 1/4-inch (6.4-millimeter) diameter stainless-steel rods. There was a tendency for cephalad progression of deformity when the fusion ended cephalad at or below the fourth thoracic vertebra. We concluded that Luque-rod segmental instrumentation with posterior spinal fusion is an effective treatment for patients who have neuromuscular scoliosis.

Orthotic results in adolescent kyphosis.

Seventy-five patients with adolescent kyphosis, treated with Boston lumbar or the modified Milwaukee orthosis, were reviewed. For compliant patients, the average improvement in kyphosis was 27% in the Boston orthosis group and 35% in the Milwaukee orthosis group, despite the fact that the former group were younger and had smaller, more flexible curves. Compliance with orthosis wearing and, therefore, effective treatment was twice as likely with the Boston orthosis (61% compliance vs. 29% with the Milwaukee). Results in patients who wore their orthoses at least 16 hours per day were equal to results in patients with 23 hours of daily wear. In a small group of compliant patients with kyphotic deformities greater than 75 degrees, the Milwaukee orthosis was surprisingly effective. The Boston lumbar kyphosis orthosis offers a satisfactory alternative to the modified Milwaukee brace in adolescent kyphosis patients whose curves measure less than 70 degrees, especially if satisfactory compliance with brace wear is suspect.

Screening school children for scoliosis.

Idiopathic scoliosis can be detected by early screening of school children in school clinics, a method which improves the detection rate. By early detection, many curves that would require surgical treatment can be prevented from reaching that severe magnitude. Much valuable data regarding the natural history of idiopathic scoliosis have been derived from screening programs. On the other hand, costs of screening are not inconsequential, and costs involved in follow-up procedures are high. Vast numbers of small, nonprogressive curves are discovered and followed. Several questions remain. (1) At what ages should school children be screened? (2) Should boys be screened? (3) What should be the criteria for referral or treatment? (4) What is a reasonable follow-up program? (5) How effective is nonoperative treatment? Careful study of the natural history and treatment of idiopathic scoliosis will help to answer these questions.

The role of Harrington instrumentation and posterior spine fusion in the management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

The Harrington instrumentation system was the first widely used, internationally accepted internal fixation system for the correction of idiopathic scoliosis when combined with a spinal arthrodesis. It has been generally available to the orthopedic surgeon for more than 25 years, and therefore its capabilities and limitations have been identified through this long experience. Its implantation requires minimal invasion of the spinal canal and is associated with a low (less than 0.5 per cent) incidence of neurologic complications. It provides predictable correction of spinal deformity with little subsequent loss of correction. When compared with other newer, more complex internal fixation systems for spinal deformities, the Harrington system has a shorter, less difficult "learning curve"; requires less operating time and blood loss to insert; implants a smaller mass of metal; and in some cases costs substantially less for the implant system. The Harrington system has an extremely low incidence of hook dislodgment and pseudoarthrosis formation in single thoracic curves, being reported as near zero for these curves in two recently published series. Conversely, there are some disadvantages to the Harrington system when compared with other types of fixation. It has limited ability to provide sagittal plane control. It does not effectively and predictably derotate the spine. A recent study showed that at an average of 4 years postoperatively, nearly two thirds of the patients had an actual increase in their rib prominence. The pseudoarthrosis rate is high, up to 4 per cent, in the thoracolumbar and lumbar spine. Hook dislodgment approaches 3 per cent when used below the thoracic region. Another disadvantage is the necessity for postoperative external support. As a result, the Harrington system remains an excellent means of treating single and double thoracic idiopathic curves in a safe and predictable manner, while admittedly having limited derotation and sagittal plane control. Other systems that are more sophisticated at segmental fixation of the spine appear to be more appropriate for scoliotic deformities requiring fusion of the thoracolumbar or lumbar spine and those associated with significant sagittal plane deformities.

The treatment of scoliosis in cerebral palsy by posterior spinal fusion with Luque-rod segmental instrumentation.

Thirty-three patients who had cerebral palsy and scoliosis underwent posterior spinal fusion with Luque-rod segmental instrumentation. The mean curve measured 65 degrees preoperatively and 30 degrees postoperatively. The mean loss of correction was 3 degrees after a mean length of follow-up of forty months. As of the time of writing, pseudarthrosis had not developed in any patient. No patient had a broken rod or an increased neurological deficit. There were no major pulmonary complications. The most common early postoperative complication was wound infection, which occurred in five patients, none of whom required removal of the hardware. We concluded that posterior spinal fusion with Luque-rod segmental instrumentation is an effective method of obtaining and maintaining correction of a spinal curve, with minimum complications, in patients who have cerebral palsy and progressive scoliosis.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treated by Harrington-rod distraction and fusion.

One hundred and thirty-three patients who had adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were treated by insertion of a single Harrington distraction rod and spinal fusion. Postoperative immobilization consisted of six months in a below-the-shoulder cast. The mean preoperative curve was 50 degrees, with a range of 30 to 110 degrees. The mean final curve was 35 degrees, with a range of 19 to 63 degrees. There were no neurological injuries and no deep wound infections. Twelve patients required further surgery for complications, all of which were treated successfully. The duration of follow-up ranged from twenty-four to seventy-two months. At final follow-up, all patients had resumed their normal preoperative activities without limitations.

Further evaluation of the Scolitron treatment of idiopathic adolescent scoliosis.

One hundred forty-two patients were treated by the Scolitron method of lateral electric surface stimulation (LESS) for scoliosis. Using 10 degrees progression as a failure point, clinicians reported the following: 56.3% of patients were classified as failures, 26.8% as successes; and 16.9% were still under treatment. When broken down into individual groups, true protocol patients, at risk for progression, had the lowest success rate; whereas those that were nonprotocol, and least at risk, had the highest success rate. This method should still be considered experimental and cannot be considered an alternative to bracing at this time.

Instability of the patellofemoral joint in Down syndrome.

The knees of 210 institutionalized patients with Down syndrome were evaluated to determine the prevalence of patellofemoral instability and to assess the value of orthotic and surgical treatment. The cases of 151 non-institutionalized patients with Down syndrome were also reviewed. The patella was dislocatable or dislocated in thirty-five knees (8.3 per cent) in the institutionalized group and in twelve knees (4.0 per cent) in the non-institutionalized group. This interfered with walking in some patients, but only three of the patients were unable to walk because of patellofemoral instability. None of the institutionalized patients used any form of orthosis, and only three non-institutionalized patients used an orthosis. Eight knees in five patients had been operated on, and they had an average length of follow-up of 16.8 years. Four of these knees had a satisfactory result. Instability of the patellofemoral joint may occur in patients with Down syndrome but is rarely disabling. Almost all patients with patellofemoral instability adapted to the problem and were able to walk.