Live Broadcast of Scoliosis Surgery

[LindaRacine]

Akron Children's Hospital to Air Internet Broadcast of Spinal Fusion Live From the OR

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, Sept. 8, from noon to 1 p.m., doctors, parents and patients from across the globe can watch a live surgery to correct scoliosis - from the convenience and comfort of their own homes or offices. The one-hour live webcast will show Akron Children's Hospital's Musculoskeletal Health Center Director William Schrader, M.D., and Patrick Riley, M.D., surgically correcting a scoliosis spinal deformity.

For most patients, scoliosis requires only observation and repeated examination in the growing years. However, a small number of cases need medical intervention, such as bracing or surgery.

Bracing is often prescribed for children who are still growing and have a spinal curvature between 25 and 45 degrees. Surgery is generally recommended for curves greater than 45 degrees. Surgical treatment is specific to each patient's situation.

During the webcast, the pediatric orthopedic surgeons will use a series of rods, hooks and screws to straighten the spine, including the latest pedicle screws, which eliminate the need for postoperative bracing or casting and increase the overall rate of correction and healing.

"Pedicle screws provide very stable purchase to the vertebra," Dr. Schrader said. "In fact, they've been shown to improve correction of the spine by as much as 30 to 50 percent over previous systems."

If left untreated, scoliosis exceeding 50 degrees can lead to long-term issues, such as diminished lung capacity and the development of restrictive lung disease.

To watch the preview video or to tune in to the live webcast, go to www.akronchildrens.org/story/ and type "scoliosis" for the keyword.

[jelysc613]

Wow... I've got it marked on my calendar, I plan to watch it, but I'm not sure if I'll make it through the whole thing... sure, my surgery was 12 years ago, but this could be rough :confused: So as much as I am curious and want to watch this, I also kind of don't. I'm definitely going to try!

What do the rest of you think, especially those who have had surgery so recently?? I'd advise exercising caution and turning it off immediately if it affects you negatively...

[HGD24]

I will definitely be taking my lunch hour to watch! The preview was amazing...I can only imagine how great the entire webcast will be! Just 3 weeks prior to my surgery, I watched The Learning Channel's episode of "Extreme Surgery" where they did the fusion surgery on a little girl and I was amazed and could not wait to tell my surgeon about it. I love watching all sorts of medical shows, so this will be great. I've always wondered what went on in that OR while I was knocked out for 12 hours...

[peachtree]

I watched another live surgery for about 20 minutes before I went into surgery and it freaked me out. I would advise not watching it if you are going into surgery or thinking about it in the near future. Now that I'm through it and on the other side I think I would view it differently. I will again attempt to watch and wonder in amazement that I actually went through it..

[Cakedec]

Yes, I am 4 1/2 weeks post-op and want to try and watch it. The preview is kind of gruesome, but it doesn't stop me from watching it. Now that I'm on the other side, I can handle it, but don't think it would be a good idea if you are having surgery soon. The rest of my family says "yuck", but they came over to see what the preview was. I also saw the "Extreme Surgery" on tv but it was not offensive that I recall, infact very informative.

Deb

[sweetness514]

For me it's the opposite, I have watched scoliosis surgeries on TV in the past, and wanted to get as much info before my last surgery, even if I don't find it to be a nice experience and do think it's gross. Now I just don't feel like watching it again and I feel it would be scratching the wound so to speak, and reliving some of my experiences in the hospital, so I will not watch it.

[dawney]

I would like to watch it but I will be experiencing LIVE surgery at the time. I did watch a snippet of one on another website. It was one of those things I didn't want to watch but couldn't look away.

[bbest]

Very cool, will definitely check it out. Thanks, Linda.

[Leelee]

Yeah I saw that about a week ago. I posted it on spinekids and I was getting ready to come here and post! lol!

[Suzy]

I'm with HGD24. I can't wait to watch how it is done. I found another short version of a scoliosis surgery on line and had seen a surgery video at a support group before I had my surgery and it left me wanting to see more. I really would have loved to have had my surgery video taped. If you think about all they do while they are in there fixing you, how could you not be interested and want to see how this miracle is done? I have always thought I would have been a good surgery room RN, I think medicine is fascinating. Those who can't handle the sight of blood won't do well. It is a messy surgery from the few I have seen.

[mattie]

Could you tell me if I could get that in Illinois? I don't know what channel that would be on here. The time is noon EDTcorrect. I am on CDT but I can get the time correct just not sure if I could get that here. I would be very interested in watching it.
Thanks Mattie

[JamieAnn]

It's on the web so anyone could get it! Take a look at the site Linda provided..

I'm not sure if I want to watch! :p

[mattie]

JamieAnn, thank you so much. I misread Lindas post and thought it ws on TV.
I will be sure and try to watch it.
Mattie

[makaylasmom]

My husband and I watched an entire spinal fusion video before I had surgery- I had a really rough time with it- knowing what was about to happen to me. My hubby on the other hand was very into watching and knowing. I would highly suggest that unless you are a vast collector of info and need all the knowledge you could possibly have before this surgery- maybe watching it after your surgery would be best for any of you about to have this. I will watch it again for sure now- but it scared the crap out of me before I had the surgery. This of course is only my opinion.

[mariya]

Hi Angela,

I agree with you. Me and my husband also happened to watch a video of the entire surgery on the internet and if it was definately not so pleasant to have seen what is about to happen since I am going for my surgery on Septemeber 19. It just made me worry and I did regret watching it because it just made it worse for me. I honestly don't recommend watching anthing like that if you are thinking of having surgery, it just simply doesn't do any good. I wish I did not see as it just made me so nervous. Oh, I also happened to see a 14 year girl's story and her video of the before and after surgery on video on the internet (iscoliosis.com) and that really freaked me out. I was relieved to know what I should expect in regards to the day at the hospital on the day of the surgery and also the way I would be after surgery. I also got to see her recovery at one month post op then 3 months and 6 months. I was relieved to see that everything turned out to be Ok and that she was fine and normal again. But still seeing what she had to go through sure enough made me think about it a lot and I was just crying for a couple of days because it was depressing to see her recovery. Its one thing to hear about patient stories but its definately scary to see it in actuality.

I will definately watch the video after my surrgery as I don't want to get emotional again. Thanks Linda for all your responses as they really answer most of my questions on this forum.

Mariya

[HGD24]

Mariya,
I have to agree with what you are saying about knowing too much before going into this surgery. As much as I enjoyed watching the short clips of surgery on The Learning Channel, and hearing stories from people here, I'm glad I did not see anyone's recovery.

People kept asking me what I was going to be like and I just kept saying, "I'll find out and deal with it when I wake up." I really don't think that anyone can mentally or emotionally prepare for the recovery part of this experience. All I wanted to know was that I was going to be ok when I got on the other side of the surgery and that if I wasn't ok, I and my family were prepared to deal with it. A lot of people asked if I was scared of becoming paralyzed and I would tell them that it's a risk and if it happened, again, I'd deal with that when I woke up. Seeing the surgery on TLC did give me hope but I can see where something this detailed could make people more anxious than they need to be. Being on the other side now and feeling perfectly healthy, I'm very interested in seeing what happened in that OR.

[mariya]

Hi Heidi,

Interesting how you also refer to "the otehr side" when you talk about being post-op. Me too I always talk about the post op as being on the other side and i jsut feel that i am on this side right now and after surgery I'll be on the other side. Sometimes I just can't wait anymore to be there on the other side because i jsut want to be OK and NORMAL again and ASAP.

It was really hard to watch the videos as they made me cry and you jsut realize what kind of an ordeal we have to go through...not easy well atleast for me. I think giving birth was easier to do than this. I hope that I'll be OK also and its less than three weeks to the surgery...

Thanks,

Mariya

[sweetness514]

There's also no shame if some of us are squeamish, b/c for me it's not fun knowing all they did to me and especially since it's been three times now in the last 8 years. It's just reliving it and I don't care for that. I didn't like the hammering they did on a young woman's spine when I saw it on TV, I don't know if they still do that, but it wasn't the blood that bothered me.

[flowerpower]

It is 10:18 a.m. in Calif., and when I tried to click on to watch the webcast, it said "Archive version will be available shortly, check back later." Guess I just missed it :confused: :confused: :confused: I'm really bummed....

[LindaRacine]

Hi...

I didn't watch it, so I'm not sure how they got it done in so little time, but it started at 9AM Pacific time. I'm guessing that it wasn't really "live." As you noted, there will be an archive version, so you should be able to watch it soon.

--Linda

[HGD24]

According to the website, they were only showing the "golden hour" of the surgery, not the entire surgery. It should have been broadcast in California from 9am to 10am.

[Jacque's Mom]

I am watching it right now and it is truly amazing! These doctors are unbelievable. They are talking throughout and explaining everything. They look so relaxed. God bless them and their minds and hands. Good luck to everyone heading down this road. LYNN

[Carmell]

I watched the webcast and yes it was live. There will be (if not already) an archived link to click on to view the procedure. Very cool to see, IMHO.

Just curious if anyone knows... the pedicle screw technique they used - is this the "latest" in technology? or are they outdated in what is typically used for scoliosis correction in healthy teenagers? Just wondering.

[berta@aloha.net]

Linda,
Where can we see the 1 hour surgery webcast again? You said there'll be a archive. Can you tell me how to find it? Can it be viewed with dial up? (doubt it!)

Thanks! Berta

[gayle]

yes Berta, just go to akron childrens hospital and it will show you what to click on to view it.i have dial up and just watched it .i was nervous to see it but i really wasnt freaked out about it like i thought i would be.it was very informative and answered some of my questions.

[LindaRacine]

The archive is available here:

http://www.or-live.com/akronchildrens/1563/

[Suzy]

I just watched it, WOW. I guess it's not for the squeamish as my husband walked in the room and watched for less then a minute said "YUCK" and left! LOL! I told him he should watch it to see how it is done and he said he prefers not to be that familiar with what is in my back. The screws and hooks were all placed before the broadcast, except for 1 screw. They showed how the screws are placed then did the rods. They got about 50% correction just placing the rods and before they even started to un-rotate the spine or do much correction. I would have liked to see how they place the bone graft but, they only had an hour.

[LindaRacine]

I would have liked to see how they place the bone graft but, they only had an hour.
In the surgeries I've observed, the bone graft is just placed on top of the spine, before the retractors are released. I think that the pressure of the soft tissue keeps it in place.

--Linda

[lelc2002@yahoo]

I watched it a bit yesterday because I was too curious not to take a peek.....ahhhhh! I made it halfway thru & that was enough for me! It seemed to make me a bit more achey! although, these surgeons completely amaze me! thank god they are skilled to do this!!!! Ly :)

[Marcia]

I watched it yesterday and am glad that I did. My husband didn't want to watch it. I want to know everything that I can about what is happening to me. I guess we are all different that way!

[berta@aloha.net]

Gayle, when you watched it with dial up, was the video sort of blurry and more like still shots, one after the other? Or is that the way it is with high speed too? Anyway, the visual was a little hard for me to really focus on, but I could see some. The verbal by the doctors was very informative, except I was wishing they referred to adult surgery some. It was almost like the attitude was that it was too late later in life. I too would have liked to see how they put in the bone graft, but an hour wasn't enough. They didn't explain that part enough and I was wondering about the long bars you could see. Do they come out after the surgery is all done? Are they part of the tools to get the spine in the best position and get the grafts inserted? Then the screws and pins are tightened?

I wonder if there is any other video or even photos or a book, of all the steps in this current type of surgery. Anyone know?
Berta

[LindaRacine]

Hi Berta....

There are all of those things. The book "Scoliosis Surgery The Definitive Patient Reference" is excellent. You can purchase it on this website, or directly from the author at http://www.curvedspine.com.

I have links to other good scoliosis websites, including other surgery videos, at http://www.scoliosislinks.com.

The "bars" you asked about are the rods that are used to straighten the spine. While they're really only there to hold the spine in place while fusion takes place, they are normally not removed unless there is a problem. You can see a picture of an xray with the rods and screws in place, here:

http://www.espine.com/scoliosis-research.gif

Regards,
Linda

[berta@aloha.net]

Hi Linda,

Thanks for that info. For some reason I thought the newer method used screws and pins instead of solid rods. It must be quite a bit different then the old Harrington rod then, right? Or is it just attached different? So the rods go thru the pedicle screws? I need to study this!
Berta

[LindaRacine]

Hi Berta...

Essentially, the difference between Harrington rods and the current posterior implant systems is that Harrington rods (usually only 1 rod) only attached at the top and bottom of the rod, with hooks. And, Harrington rods were not bent to give patients the normal front to back curves of kyphosis and lordosis. You can see xrays of both Harrington rods and current implants here:

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article614.html

Hooks and screws are attached to the spine. At the top of each hook or screw, there is a channel through which the rod is placed and secured down. You can see a close up picture of how that works here:

http://tristan.membrane.com/aona/video/spine/25029.html

Regards,
Linda

[mariya]

I finally saw the video. It was not so bad to watch because they were not really showing you the part where they make the incision and the whole surgery itself from the beginning to the end. I have seen one patient's story and surgery and post-op on iscoliosis.com and that was more emotionaly hard to watch than the surgery itself, atleast I felt that way.

I feel that it was harder for me to watch the patient's recovery and ost-op expirience than the surgery itself.

One other thing I want to say is that when they showed the powerpoint slides and how the pedicle screw is placed in to the bone and how close it gets to the spinal cord - now that was really amazing but scary at the same time. I felt that it is so close to the spinal cord and looked more riskier than it probably is.

Well, thanks Linda for letting us know about the surgery. I am glad they said that in the next ten years they are probably going to be using the BMP only and that is great because I was really excited in that too but my doctor said that it was not necesarry at the time I was considering having the surgery..

Mariya

[berta@aloha.net]

Well, I finally got to view the webcast with high speed and what a difference!
I'm also reading and comprehending better now the section in Scoliosis Surgery, The Definitive Patient's Reference, about instrumentation. Now I'm concerned about the two type metals since I tend to be an allergic person. Apparently, some people are allergic to the nickel in the stainless steel rod and the titanium rod has it's disadvantage being that it can go back to it's original shape and it's not quite as strong. What are the screws made of?
Which is being used most and which is best!!?? (Linda?)
Those that have had surgery, what are your experiences?
Berta