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Wedge Vertebrae -- info needed please

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  • Wedge Vertebrae -- info needed please

    Hi -- I am writing in the hopes that some of you may have some knowledge about Surgery to Remove a Wedge Vertebrae -- such as success rates, long-term effects on the child (good or bad), the recovery period, advice you can offer, things to be aware of, etc.

    Here's the background:

    Our five year old daughter has been just diagnosed with congential scoliosis, caused by a wedge vertebrae in the lumbar (i.e., lower) section of her back. As a result, she has a 40 degree curve in the lower section of her back, although it is not visible when you look at her.

    How it was found: She was being x-rayed for pain in her hip (that later went away) and the scoliosis was discovered 'by accident.' Although the curve looks very prominent on the x-ray, no one (including doctors) ever caught it when looking at her from 'the outside'. You really can't tell she has it. There are no visible signs of trunk malformation and she is very active and flexible and has no physical limitations.

    Right now, we have seen a pediatric orthopedist and are in the 'wait and see if it gets worse stage.' Our daughter is going back for a second x-ray in four months, to see if it has progressed. She will also be getting an MRI soon to look at tissues in the area, etc.

    The orthopedist thinks it is most likely the curve will become worse due to two factors: (1) that our daughter is young and there is lots of growing time left, and (2) because the curve is in the lumbar/lower section, this apparently creates more problems than curves that are higher up.

    If it does progress (and we of course hope it does not -- and the doctor said that although that *could* happen, it doesn't look likely) surgery is apparently the next/only option.

    The doctor said the most likely course would be to do surgery to remove the wedge vertebrae and 'correct' the position of her spine. If/when that happens, we do not want to rush into anything and want to learn as much as we can.

    So... have you, or anyone you know, ever had a child with scoliosis caused by a wedge vertebrae or similar malformation? How did the child progress? If surgery was done, how did it go? What were the results (good or bad)? What is the recovery period like? Any other thoughts?

    Any information you can provide would be *very* much appreciated. Thank you.

    bluehazelgray@yahoo.com

  • #2
    Bluegray...

    You might want to check out PubMed for published papers on hemivertebra:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

    Also, here are some additional references:

    http://www.spineuniverse.com/display...ticle1757.html
    http://www.iscoliosis.com/causes-congenital.html

    My one recommendation would be to be sure that you've chosen a surgeon who has a lot of experience in treating very young children with congenital scoliosis. If you let us know where you live, I'm sure that Carmell can give you a recommendation for the closest specialist.

    Regards,
    Linda
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

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    • #3
      Thanks Linda

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