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Articles on Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis

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  • Articles on Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis

    Hey gang,

    I know a lot of parents are desperate for information on infantile scoliosis and it may be difficult to find it on the internet. What I've done is I've gathered a few articles that may assist you in your quest. You will need acrobat reader to view these articles and in the event that you don't have it, you can download it for free here:

    http://www.adobe.com/support/downloa...n.html#Readers

    There is one article which you MUST READ, it was recently published by Dr. Min Mehta "Growth as a Corrective Force in the Early Treatment of Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis" and it's the 4th article down on the following website, you don't need a password to view it.

    http://www.scoliosis-support.org/mod...wcat.php?cid=4


    Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis: Can it be prevented ?
    M. J. McMaster JBJS (Br)
    http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/65-B/5/612


    Natural History and Prognosis of Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis
    Scott and Morgan 1955 JBJS
    http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/37-B/3/400


    The Management of Progressive Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis
    M.J. McMaster JBJS
    http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/61-B/1/36


    The Management of Infants with Scoliosis
    James JBJS
    http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/57-B/4/422


    Prognosis in Infant Idiopathic Scoliosis
    Thompson and Bently JBJS
    http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/62-B/2/151






    celia
    Last edited by Celia; 02-24-2006, 09:00 PM.

    Canadian eh
    Daughter, Deirdre born Oct 2000. Diagnosed with 60 degree curve at the age of 19 months. Serial casting by Dr. Hedden at Sick Kid's Hospital. Currently being treated by Dr. Rivard and Dr. Coillard in Montreal with the Spinecor brace and curve is holding at "2" degrees. Next appointment 2008

  • #2
    Thank you!!

    Dear Celia,

    Thank you so very much for being so thoughtful and taking the time to post these wonderful, very informative articles!! It's greatly appreciated and very helpful during a time when I feel so helpless. You're awesome!!

    Greatfully,

    Jennifer O'Donovan
    mom to Liam - 11 months - progressive, infantile (idiopathic?) scoliosis - 105 degree curve

    Comment


    • #3
      Jennifer,

      That is such a sweet thing to say Thank-you. I hope everything is going well for you and your little man.

      Canadian eh
      Daughter, Deirdre born Oct 2000. Diagnosed with 60 degree curve at the age of 19 months. Serial casting by Dr. Hedden at Sick Kid's Hospital. Currently being treated by Dr. Rivard and Dr. Coillard in Montreal with the Spinecor brace and curve is holding at "2" degrees. Next appointment 2008

      Comment


      • #4
        You are awesome. I just read the article on conservative treatment of juvenile scoliosis. I have been wondering why that line of treatment is not used for juvenile, or adolescent for that matter. I know older children would not love wearing casts; on the other hand, it appears that in rapid growth spurts, if the curve were corrected aggresively, the deformity could be restructured. Am I understanding what she is saying in that article?
        Last edited by cherylplinder; 03-06-2006, 12:39 AM.
        God has used scoliosis to strengthen and mold us. He's good all the time!On this forum these larger curves have not held forever in Spinecor,with an initial positive response followed by deterioration. With deterioration, change treatment.The first year she gained 4 or 5 inches and was stable at around 20/20 in brace, followed by rapid progression the next year.She is now 51/40 (Jan2008)out of brace (40/30 in Spinecor) and started at 38/27 out of brace(Jan2006.) Now in Cheneau.

        Comment


        • #5
          Cheryl,

          Yes, that's what I got from the article. Our previous ortho, Dr. Hedden also casted older children for short periods of time.

          Despite fears of copyright infringement laws (and I know I probably butchered that French Cotrel article to bits) my internet buddy Deshea Harris and I felt that the people to really benefit from these articles are the parents ! So..... if we end up going to jail you can think of us as martyrs for the greater good

          Canadian eh
          Daughter, Deirdre born Oct 2000. Diagnosed with 60 degree curve at the age of 19 months. Serial casting by Dr. Hedden at Sick Kid's Hospital. Currently being treated by Dr. Rivard and Dr. Coillard in Montreal with the Spinecor brace and curve is holding at "2" degrees. Next appointment 2008

          Comment


          • #6
            I have been wondering why that line of treatment is not used for juvenile, or adolescent for that matter.
            that would make sense, wouldn't it. Who is going to "trial" that on their child though??

            Comment


            • #7
              Children up to the age of at least 10 were put into EDF plaster casts regularly at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore back in the 1970s and 1980s. I know because I was one of them....in my case, however, the cast could not correct my curves but simply hold them to give me time to grow before fusion surgery. I have no idea if they still cast older children in this way.

              My curves were always very inflexible though, and even with halo traction the best correction that could be acheived was that my thoracic curve was reduced down to 45 degrees. Maybe it would be possible to straighten older children if they have more flexible curves, but my understanding is that infants have much softer bones so it is easier to mould them straighter as they grow.

              Comment


              • #8
                Hi Toni

                How much of an attempt was made to correct you as much as possible before applying cast and

                How often was the cast changed.

                Must have been awful to cope with, how did you manage??

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi,

                  It wasn't awful to cope with, it was fine, I'd grown up wearing casts and was used to it.

                  I was cast in exactly the same way as Erin (from SSO) and Dierdre are cast, in traction on a Risser frame. In fact Erin is cast on exactly the same Risser frame as I was, because Stanmore still have the one they've had since the '60s!

                  Every attempt was made to correct me as much as possible whilst the cast was put on. My surgeon, Mr Edgar, was probably the best scoliosis surgeon in the country at the time (he's now a trustee of SAUK along with Miss Mehta). I had all the elongation, distraction etc stuff done. The curves in my spine were really inflexible right from when I was first diagnosed at 6 months old; this is documented in my notes. My curves were first diagnosed at 62 degrees (thoracic) and about 40 degrees (lumbar) with a great deal of rotation, but the casts and braces held them in the 60s/40s right up until I was ten, when the top one deteriorated to 76 degrees. The most correction I ever got in a cast or brace was about 30%. 3 weeks of halo-tibial traction brought my 76 degree curve down to 45 degrees, where it was fused.

                  I also wore Milwaukee braces, but these were made using casts moulded whilst on the EDF frame too. I had casts changed every two months and tended to wear the casts in the winter months and the braces in the summer months when plaster of paris would get excessively hot (in the earlier years the jackets were made purely of plaster with no fibreglass, so they were very heavy).

                  I preferred casts to Milwaukee braces as they didn't have the metal neck ring; however, I loved being able to take the brace off for an hour a day, and have baths. Swings and roundabouts

                  Hope this helps. To everyone who thinks it must be traumatic for a child to wear a cast - IT ISNT!!! I should think that growing up with a severely twisted spine because one's parents/doctors were too pussy to put one into a cast would be a lot more traumatic!!

                  Regards,
                  Toni

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    It wasn't traumatic AT ALL for Deirdre. She is now 5 years old and the whole experience is becoming a distant memory. The casts were very comfortable, very much like an under-arm boston brace and VERY inconspicuous underneath clothing. Most people didn't even know she was wearing a cast or that she had an orthopaedic problem. I'm really glad we did it, because now her 60 degree curve is down to "1" in the spinecor brace and she looks great !

                    Canadian eh
                    Daughter, Deirdre born Oct 2000. Diagnosed with 60 degree curve at the age of 19 months. Serial casting by Dr. Hedden at Sick Kid's Hospital. Currently being treated by Dr. Rivard and Dr. Coillard in Montreal with the Spinecor brace and curve is holding at "2" degrees. Next appointment 2008

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi Celia,

                      I'm just curious how long they will have Deirdre wear the Spinecor brace. You don't say what her curve is out of the brace, but since it is 1 degree in the brace, I am guessing that even out of the brace her curve is quite small -and I was under the impression that curves under 20 degrees or so don't need to be braced, at least not full time. Is it different with the Spinecor? I'm not all that familiar with this type of brace and exactly how it is used, although I have read quite a bit about it on this site and am, hopefully, becoming a bit more educated about it.

                      In any event, it sounds like she's doing wonderfully, and I hope she continues to do so!!

                      take care,
                      mariaf305@yahoo.com
                      Mom to David, age 17, braced June 2000 to March 2004
                      Vertebral Body Stapling 3/10/04 for 40 degree curve (currently mid 20's)

                      https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScoliosisTethering/

                      http://pediatricspinefoundation.org/

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        very interesting toni, there was clearly a degree of dedication from consultants which seems to be lacking (??) these days.

                        Any reason your spine was so inflexible??

                        gerbo

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by mariaf
                          Hi Celia,

                          I'm just curious how long they will have Deirdre wear the Spinecor brace. You don't say what her curve is out of the brace, but since it is 1 degree in the brace, I am guessing that even out of the brace her curve is quite small -and I was under the impression that curves under 20 degrees or so don't need to be braced, at least not full time. Is it different with the Spinecor? I'm not all that familiar with this type of brace and exactly how it is used, although I have read quite a bit about it on this site and am, hopefully, becoming a bit more educated about it.

                          In any event, it sounds like she's doing wonderfully, and I hope she continues to do so!!

                          take care,

                          Maria,

                          Thanks for the well wishes ! Oh, and happy belated birthday to you too

                          She'll probably have to wear the Spinecor brace for at LEAST two years so that her body "learns" the corrective movement. I don't feel comfortable with any other kind of scenario. If she has to wear it longer, I'm O.K. with that - it's such a great brace ! There was a lot of uncertainty before the last cast came off as to how her cuve would behave and I'm sure with no support, the curve would continue to progress with growth. Infantile scoliosis is very aggressive and she did start out with a severe curve not too long ago. I'm sure there are doctors who would say "let's do nothing and see what happens to the curve" but I'm not a reckless person especially when it comes to my child's health and well being. I've heard the words "spinal fusion" for my then 19 month old at the very first clinic appointment and these words have haunted me since - it's the kind of fear you never forget.
                          Last edited by Celia; 03-07-2006, 08:37 PM.

                          Canadian eh
                          Daughter, Deirdre born Oct 2000. Diagnosed with 60 degree curve at the age of 19 months. Serial casting by Dr. Hedden at Sick Kid's Hospital. Currently being treated by Dr. Rivard and Dr. Coillard in Montreal with the Spinecor brace and curve is holding at "2" degrees. Next appointment 2008

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Celia,

                            I absolutely agree - better safe than sorry. With all the different scenarios these kids could be facing (from fusion to growing rods, etc.), who really cares if they need to wear a brace for a year or two - particularly since she probably forgets she has it on most of the time!! And since it's not restricting her lungs or causing muscle atrophy, all the better

                            Continued good luck to her,
                            mariaf305@yahoo.com
                            Mom to David, age 17, braced June 2000 to March 2004
                            Vertebral Body Stapling 3/10/04 for 40 degree curve (currently mid 20's)

                            https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScoliosisTethering/

                            http://pediatricspinefoundation.org/

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by gerbo
                              very interesting toni, there was clearly a degree of dedication from consultants which seems to be lacking (??) these days.

                              Any reason your spine was so inflexible??

                              gerbo
                              No idea Gerbo.....it was just one of those things, an idiopathic scoliosis with no other health problems at all.

                              I am sure that the scoliosis specialists at the RNOH are at least as dedicated as they were years ago....I have no idea what was going on in other hospitals back then. Infantile idiopathic scoliosis is so rare that (hopefully) all cases that are recognised get sent straight to Stanmore; I think we worked it out that only one in 750,000 children will be born with an idiopathic curve measuring over 60 degrees. That's less than one child born per year in the whole of the UK.

                              Comment

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