Straight facts about curved backs - Harrington rod fusion with spinous process wiring: its effects in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis - Poster abstract

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Harrington Rod Fusion with Spinous Process Wiring in the treatment of scoliosis. DESIGN and METHODS: A retrospective review of records and radiographs of twenty-one patients with single curve, idiopathic scoliosis was carried out. They received treatment with Harrington rod fusion with spinous process wiring at the Princess Elizabeth Centre. Radiographs were used to determine the correction percentages at post-op and at follow-up two to three years later. RESULTS: Of the twenty-one surgical cases, seventeen (81 percent) were females and four (19 percent) male. The means post-op correction percentage was 46.3 percent, compared with a mean follow-up percentage of 28.6 percent, showing a significant decrease between post-op and follow-up. The majority (90.5 percent) of patients had reduction in curve magnitude after surgery; at follow-up 85.7 percent showed reduction. The average duration of surgery was 140 minutes with a mean blood loss of 831 ml. There was no significant difference in correction percentage between thoracic and thoracolumbar curves. CONCLUSIONS: This procedure is an effective surgical treatment for idiopathic scoliosis. It is equally effective in treating thoracic and thoracolumbar curves. This low cost method affords the patient curve reduction with minimal risk. (Au)