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  • Dallas Scottish Rite

    Does anyone have any info on the doctors at the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas?

  • #2
    What sort of information do you need? Dr. Karl Rathjen is performing posterior fusion/instrumentation on my son Monday morning (Dec. 12). Dr. Daniel Sucato is also there and is tops in the field of spinal deformities - excellent background and reputation. Doctors come from all over the world to train there, so the ones on staff are truly outstanding. TSRH has been an excellent facility in our experience.
    Son, David, age 16 1/2, had T-5 to T-11 fusion/instrumentation surgery at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital Dec. 12, '05 to hold major curve
    Diagnosed Feb. '03, T36*, L28*
    Boston TLSO brace
    May '03 T44*, L36*
    July '04 T54*, L45* d/c brace, not holding curves
    June '05 T68*, L48*
    Initial post-surgery estimate T55*, L45*

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    • #3
      Thanks for your reply. We have seen Dr. Sucato and were impressed by him. We have also consulted with Dr. D'Andrea at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia. She set up the appointment for us with Dr. Sucato. They have a differing opinion regarding how many vertebrae should be fused. Having surgery in Dallas would certainly be easier on our family, but we are unsure which treatment option would be best for our daughter...??? I had never seen Scottish Rite or any of the doctors mentioned here, and were interested in someone else's opinion. We were impressed with the facility. Best of luck to you all with your surgery Monday--please let me know how it works out for you guys.

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      • #4
        AustinMom,
        (by the way, I was an Austinite for 36 years and I have a daughter at UT - moved 11 years ago, still miss my old home)

        From what I've read here and elsewhere, you could go to five different doctors and get five slightly different opinions on exactly which vertebrae to fuse. Our two orthopedists (the one who referred us and Dr. Rathjen at TSRH) said as much, as well.

        I'm certain you can't go wrong by choosing TSRH, but you must trust your own instinct. For us the travel would be a huge problem for the whole family, the follow-up care, etc, but of course if my son was in a situation where the only or best care was hundreds or thousands of miles away, we'd hock everything we have to take care of him.

        I am very comfortable with TSRH and after our pre-op last Thursday (the icy day in North Texas!), I am even more impressed with the entire staff, from the receptionists to the security guards to the volunteers to the anesthesiologists. Everyone seems interested in David as an individual and in us, as his parents, as well. His room had already been assigned and the child life staff had decorated it with posters indicating his interests and other personal information and placed a welcome bag with activities for us (probably for tonight).

        It goes without saying that we do have great confidence in our doctor. My son is very comfortable with him and they seem to communicate very well.

        TSRH is at the forefront of scoliosis research and treatment - there's even instrumentation that was developed there that carries the name. I know all the Shriners hospitals provide outstanding care - and we almost went to Shriners in Shreveport because we're halfway between Dallas and Shreveport and didn't really know anything about TSRH at the time. But from our first visit there over two years ago we all felt comfortable and confident in their care. If you haven't already done so, do some searches on the orthopedic staff at TSRH (http://www.tsrh.org/m_orthopedicsstaff.cfm) - all professors or assistant professors of orthopedics at UT Southwestern, look at their backgrounds, education and training, areas of research. I know one very, very wealthy family in Houston consulted all over the country for their son and chose TSRH for his treatment and surgery.

        AustinMom, forgive me if I've carried on too much. Again, trust your instinct, consult with other doctors, patients and parents. Having confidence and trust in the people caring for your child is of great importance.

        I'll update you after we return from David's surgery. If you haven't acquired it before now, you might look into David Wolpert's excellent book, "Scoliosis Surgery: The Definitive Patient's Reference". He is, interestingly, another Austinite.

        Must start packing the car - back next week!

        SanD
        Son, David, age 16 1/2, had T-5 to T-11 fusion/instrumentation surgery at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital Dec. 12, '05 to hold major curve
        Diagnosed Feb. '03, T36*, L28*
        Boston TLSO brace
        May '03 T44*, L36*
        July '04 T54*, L45* d/c brace, not holding curves
        June '05 T68*, L48*
        Initial post-surgery estimate T55*, L45*

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        • #5
          As far as whether to go to Shriners or Scottish Rite, they are both excellent hospitals. The only difference is that Shriners deals only in orthopedic and burns. Scottish Rite does other things as well. They are both funded by donations raised by their respective Scottish Rite and Shrine men. The doctors in both hospitals are the very best in the nation. The doctors in these two hospitals work very closely together. Doctors in both of these hospitals teach all over the world, they have the latest technologies and are very good at what they do.

          My husband is a Shriner and a Scottish Rite member, he would recommend either hospital. We used Shriners because they do orthopedic surgeries exclusively and it was the closest for us. Either choice is excellent.

          Nikki

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