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The radiographs look good and the surgeon hit the balance in both planes with this kid also. The residual curve in the lumbar did not resolve completely like with her sister. I would say it looks exactly like the initial radiographs so it hasn't gotten worse I don't think. I don't know how big it is but I think it's at least 15* (eyeball guess) and maybe more. I asked him about it and he said that will be stable. The top is dead straight which is why she is thought to be stable with the lower curve and that agrees with what Dr. Hey said in one of his blog posts. That total straightening through the thorax drove most of the lumbar correction but there is some left. Her rods are almost completely superimposed on sagittal view so she has virtually no rotation left.
The guy is a spine artist.
It's amazing how different their cases were. The first kid had much more rotation and was a more complicated case but has almost no residual curve in the lumbar (and has absolutely perfect balance in coronal and sagittal views - it's amazing to my little lay eye). This second kid had a simpler case, much less rotation but has a residual lumbar curve. There are probably a bunch of other differences that the surgeon could point out. It's remarkable.
He does not have digital radiographs so I can't post Willow's or her sister's easily. I have called the nurse to find out how to get copies. If I have to get their whole medical files just to get the radiographs then I will request that through the hospital but I don't anticipate that. The girls should have copies of their radiographs.
She is released from restrictions and she has to return in a year.
Two down, none to go.
Oh, forgot to mention the Marfan's discussion. Apparently, there are two groupings of Marfan-related curves, one group that has multiple curves and may show fast progression and one group that present exactly like AIS. So Flerc's surgeon may have been correct about Marfan's curves being different although they aren't always different according to our surgeon. So you can't use an AIS-like curve to rule out Marfan's as I think Flerc's surgeon was trying to do but you might suggest possible Marfan's if you have the multiple/fast curves. And he continues to think that my girls don't have Marfan's. He has seen frank Marfan's cases and he doesn't feel my kids meet that (or at least don't have enough skeletal indicators to suggest it). I live for that affirmation.
The guy is a spine artist.
It's amazing how different their cases were. The first kid had much more rotation and was a more complicated case but has almost no residual curve in the lumbar (and has absolutely perfect balance in coronal and sagittal views - it's amazing to my little lay eye). This second kid had a simpler case, much less rotation but has a residual lumbar curve. There are probably a bunch of other differences that the surgeon could point out. It's remarkable.
He does not have digital radiographs so I can't post Willow's or her sister's easily. I have called the nurse to find out how to get copies. If I have to get their whole medical files just to get the radiographs then I will request that through the hospital but I don't anticipate that. The girls should have copies of their radiographs.
She is released from restrictions and she has to return in a year.
Two down, none to go.
Oh, forgot to mention the Marfan's discussion. Apparently, there are two groupings of Marfan-related curves, one group that has multiple curves and may show fast progression and one group that present exactly like AIS. So Flerc's surgeon may have been correct about Marfan's curves being different although they aren't always different according to our surgeon. So you can't use an AIS-like curve to rule out Marfan's as I think Flerc's surgeon was trying to do but you might suggest possible Marfan's if you have the multiple/fast curves. And he continues to think that my girls don't have Marfan's. He has seen frank Marfan's cases and he doesn't feel my kids meet that (or at least don't have enough skeletal indicators to suggest it). I live for that affirmation.
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