Compared to growth rods, vertebral stapling sounds like a great option for children with early onset scoliosis if it means they can avoid repeated surgeries until the final spinal fusion during adolescence, not to mention those children where vertebral stapling is a success and they avoid spinal fusion altogether! I'm not anti vertebral stapling, I just don't believe that a kid with a 25 degree curve is malignant to warrant subjecting him/her to a very experimental surgical procedure that enables doctors to "test theories" for the greater good of future generations. Who knows what the long term implications on the health of these children is?
I can see how vertebral stapling would be a very attractive alternative to spinal fusion and stapling curves when they're at 40 degrees or more when bracing won't do much good for a lot of children anyway but I don't agree with putting a child through the trauma of surgery when their curves are still at 20 degrees! It's ironic that most doctors are against bracing curves when they're 20 degrees but it's okay for surgery? Another major worry for me is that they're still testing these staples on goats and other live animals!!!
Given my layman's interpretation of the studies pasted below, I can't see much difference between the 2003 and 2005 study except for time lapse. I did notice the criteria for failure increased for curves progressing greater/equal to 6 degrees in the 2003 study to curves progressing greater/equal to 10 degrees in the 2005 study. The two articles in question are therefore very misleading. It states that no child with a curve under 30 degrees progressed.... what they mean to say is that no child with a curve under 30 progressed more than 10 degrees! Curves that progressed less than 10 degrees say 8 degrees were not considered in the criteria for failure or progression. Given the short followup period, a curve that started at 28 degrees and is now 36 degrees would be in the success group!!! Another major difference between vertebral stapling statistics and brace studies statistics is that bracing studies followed patients until the *end* of skeletal maturity and compiled ALL the statistics at that point in time. The vertebral stapling study compiles results after a few years of growth - it's my understanding that curves remain relatively stable for a period of time, which would account for the *apparent* 80% success recorded with stapling.
http://www.scoliosis-support.org/uploads/stapling1.pdf
http://www.scoliosis-support.org/uploads/stapling2.pdf
I can see how vertebral stapling would be a very attractive alternative to spinal fusion and stapling curves when they're at 40 degrees or more when bracing won't do much good for a lot of children anyway but I don't agree with putting a child through the trauma of surgery when their curves are still at 20 degrees! It's ironic that most doctors are against bracing curves when they're 20 degrees but it's okay for surgery? Another major worry for me is that they're still testing these staples on goats and other live animals!!!
Given my layman's interpretation of the studies pasted below, I can't see much difference between the 2003 and 2005 study except for time lapse. I did notice the criteria for failure increased for curves progressing greater/equal to 6 degrees in the 2003 study to curves progressing greater/equal to 10 degrees in the 2005 study. The two articles in question are therefore very misleading. It states that no child with a curve under 30 degrees progressed.... what they mean to say is that no child with a curve under 30 progressed more than 10 degrees! Curves that progressed less than 10 degrees say 8 degrees were not considered in the criteria for failure or progression. Given the short followup period, a curve that started at 28 degrees and is now 36 degrees would be in the success group!!! Another major difference between vertebral stapling statistics and brace studies statistics is that bracing studies followed patients until the *end* of skeletal maturity and compiled ALL the statistics at that point in time. The vertebral stapling study compiles results after a few years of growth - it's my understanding that curves remain relatively stable for a period of time, which would account for the *apparent* 80% success recorded with stapling.
http://www.scoliosis-support.org/uploads/stapling1.pdf
http://www.scoliosis-support.org/uploads/stapling2.pdf
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