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Congenital Scoliosis Essay

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Congenital scoliosis was found within a five-year-old female whose spine continued to curve, after a previous surgery. She had a 10-degree curve within the thoracic (central region) of her spine (similar to figure 1), which required a BioModel of her entire spine to be made or reference during surgery. Congenital scoliosis, meaning present at birth, is a sideways curvature of the spine caused by vertebrae not forming correctly when the child inside the uterus. The physical signs of her scoliosis included tilted, uneven shoulders, with one shoulder blade protruding more than the other and an overall appearance of leaning to the side. Her diagnosis was confirmed with a Computer Tomography scan (CT Scan). Other methods which can be used include …show more content…

The goal of using Harrington rods is to allow continued growth while correcting the curve. Either one or two rods are used, with the surgery needing to be repeated every 6 to 8 month to ensure the rods are at the same length as the spinal column allowing correct growth. These rods are attached to the spine above and below the curve, which straightens and supports the spine and bones within. The use of the biomodel gave clear depiction of what length and width each rod needed to be for this particular surgery. Bone grafts are inserted to hold the spine in the correct position to keep it from curving again, with the rods inserted shortly after. In order to insert these Rods and Bone grafts, the surgeon made one surgical through the child’s back, known as a posterior approach. The surgeon then moved her muscles aside in order to remove the curved joints between the different vertebrae. Bone grafts replace these in order to reshape the spine. This is followed by the insertion of the two Harrington rods used to hold the spine together causing the bone grafts to attach and heal. This surgery took several hours to complete (refer to figure

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