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Davies Dominoes Treatment for Scoliosis

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  • Davies Dominoes Treatment for Scoliosis

    My sister in Wales sent me this link to a news article on a treatment being done by Dr. Evan Davies in Southampton, England. There is an article and a video.......

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/h...re/7750471.stm

    Sounds interesting - does anyone else know anything about this?

    Ruth
    Ruth, 50 years old (s-shaped 30 degree scoliosis) with degenerative disc disease, married to Mike. Mother to two children - Son 18 and daughter 14. Both have idiopathic scoliosis. Son (T38, L29) has not needed surgery to date. Daughter (March 08 - T62, L63).

  • #2
    It does sound interesting, although it sounds a lot like segmental growth rods. The photo of the rods looks like they lie against the spine ... which makes me wonder how they avoid spontaneous fusion.

    I'd love to see the post-op x-rays of the hardware, the levels fused and correction achieved.

    The article focuses on her post-op flexibility, but look at her curve apex ... it's pretty high. Very little bending is done in the thoracic area: I wonder about the result had it been a lumbar or thoracolumbar curve.

    The doctor says, "... Ruth will probably only need one more operation, when she has stopped growing."

    Sounds like permanent fusion at that point? It doesn't say anything about removing the hardware - and I'd think they'd play that up.

    I'd be interested to see more detail on this ...

    Regards,
    Pam
    Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
    AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


    41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
    Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
    Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


    VIEW MY X-RAYS
    EMAIL ME

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi...

      Interesting, but I'm not convinced that it's anything that will work. If it's just meant to hold the curve until the child is skeletally mature, why not go for staples? And, in a gymnast, I'd be concerned about all of the movement of the metal.

      --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

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
        ... If it's just meant to hold the curve until the child is skeletally mature, why not go for staples?
        At 78°, she was two times beyond the range of stapling.

        I went back and read the article again, and it's odd how they make it sound like her scoliosis has (as they wrote) "been put right", but then make only passing mention of one more surgery when she's completed growth.

        That final surgery can't be anything but permanent fusion surgery with regular instrumentation, so I'm curious why the impression that this "cured" her?

        Pam
        Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
        AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


        41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
        Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
        Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


        VIEW MY X-RAYS
        EMAIL ME

        Comment


        • #5
          Seeing this news clip and reading the short article has left me with more questions than answers too. I would like to find out more about it though.

          I found Mr. Davies website: http://www.spinesurgeon.org.uk/default.htm
          No mention of the Davies Dominoes on the site though.
          I emailed him asking for more information.

          Thanks for the "inquiring mind" questions you posted - I can add these to my email to the doctor.

          Ruth
          Last edited by rtremb; 11-30-2008, 02:11 AM.
          Ruth, 50 years old (s-shaped 30 degree scoliosis) with degenerative disc disease, married to Mike. Mother to two children - Son 18 and daughter 14. Both have idiopathic scoliosis. Son (T38, L29) has not needed surgery to date. Daughter (March 08 - T62, L63).

          Comment


          • #6
            Yes, this is all over the press in the UK today (makes a change from "Scoliosis SOS"!):

            http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...ted-spine.html

            and

            http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/lif...cle5263812.ece


            I received a flurry of phone calls this morning from friends and family. The photograph used in The Telegraph does not look like one of an elite gymnast (!)

            At 13 I would have thought that the young lady was a bit old for growth rods? Particularly if the plan is to fuse the spine eventually.

            As you say, raises many, many questions. But I'm pleased to hear of any research and developments re. Scoliosis.

            (Ruth - it was good to be able to say to my mum, "Yes, I have heard about it already - A friend in Canada told me yesterday! But thank you so much anyway!!")
            UK based Mum of Imogen, 38 degree curve at 9 years old. SpineCor since 15/6/07, 31 degrees in brace.
            10th December 07 - 27 degrees, 23rd June 08 - 26 degrees, Feb 09 - 24 degrees, Aug 09 - 35 degrees, Jul 10 - 47 degrees, Dec 10 - 50+ degrees.
            Surgery due to take place early December 2011 at the RNOH, England.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by RugbyLaura View Post
              ... At 13 I would have thought that the young lady was a bit old for growth rods? Particularly if the plan is to fuse the spine eventually.
              Funny you say that, Laura ... I had the same thought (wondering how much growth she could have left - especially as an "elite" competitor in a sport of typically small people).

              And, OMG, on that "internal decapitation" story tacked to the end of the Dominoes bit in the Telegraph! I did NOT need to read that this early in the morning ... UGH.
              Last edited by txmarinemom; 12-01-2008, 09:18 AM. Reason: Agggh ... just read the Telegraph article!
              Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
              AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


              41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
              Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
              Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


              VIEW MY X-RAYS
              EMAIL ME

              Comment


              • #8
                Davies Dominoes

                Hello,
                I was just wondering if anyone had more details about the Davies Dominoes and if you guys had a reply from the doctor (I believe one of you was contacting him for more information). As a mother of a child whose threat of spinal growth rods surgery sounds as real as ever, I am obviously trying to do my research too and came accross those Davies Dominoes but also the Shilla expandable rods. Does anybody knows the difference? To me it sounds the same.
                Thank you for your inputs,
                Stana
                Mother to Jessica 7, diagnosed with a large tumour of a nervous system wrapped around her spine in 2005 and scoliosis in 2006, now 48 degrees

                Comment


                • #9
                  Very disappointing -- I did not hear back from the doctor in England (or his office) about the Davies Dominoes. I will try to telephone there next week.

                  Ruth
                  Ruth, 50 years old (s-shaped 30 degree scoliosis) with degenerative disc disease, married to Mike. Mother to two children - Son 18 and daughter 14. Both have idiopathic scoliosis. Son (T38, L29) has not needed surgery to date. Daughter (March 08 - T62, L63).

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Shilla rods

                    Hello Ruth,

                    Have you looked into the Shilla rods that are being operated in by Dr. Skaggs in America.

                    Here are his details:

                    David L. Skaggs, MD
                    Endowed Chair of Pediatric Spinal Disorders
                    Associate Director, Childrens Orthopaedic Center
                    Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
                    Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
                    University of Southern California School of Medicine

                    4650 Sunset Blvd, #69
                    Los Angeles, California, 90027

                    001 323-361-4648

                    fax 323-361-1310

                    DSkaggs@chla.usc.edu

                    We have been in touch with him and is very positive about the Shilla rods.

                    Stana

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Davies Dominoes

                      Hello Ruth,
                      We have also been in touch with Dr. Davies and asked him whether he would operate on my daughter (her case is more complicated as she need a tumor removed from inside of her spinal canal first and than rods put in to straighten her spine) and he replied:

                      Thank you for your email in reply. I am not saying that there is not anyone in Southampton who lacks the expertise in neurological surgery – we certainly have the same facilities in Southampton that are available in London. It is just my experience of moving patients between units where there has already been surgery performed under another unit which often leads to problems and this is why I would recommend that she stays in GOSH where they have already assessed her.

                      As regards the Davies Dominoes, I am the only person in the world who uses these at present. I am obviously investigating these dominoes to make sure they are safe and efficacious before there is generalised use of them and I would estimate that this will be a minimum of two years.


                      Kind regards.

                      Evan Davies


                      Ruth,

                      hope this helps a little bit. It's worth waiting 2 years if you can. However I don't think we can wait two years as Jessie's scoliosis is 58 degrees now. Have you heard of the magnetic lenghtening of spinal growth rods?

                      Kind regards,

                      Stana and Jessie (tumor ganglioneuroblastoma 2005 & neuromuscular scoliosis 2006)

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