Originally posted by titaniumed
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The X-ray shows if a tether breaks. Normally the screws are perpendicular but the tethers are so tight that if one snaps the screw holding it will point either up or down a few degrees. So basically the direction of the screw shifts a bit. The longer the tethers last the better because the bone continues to remodel as the spine grows. However now that Scott's nearly done growing the remodeling slows down and it doesn't matter much if one breaks.
Newton has a series of x-rays of a tethered patient that is done growing and even over 2 or 3 years the curve and wedging didn't change at all. So in his opinion without growth the procedure doesn't help.
I suppose that the procedure would work in adults if someday scientists found a way to safely stimulate a high rate of bone remodeling in the vertebrae.
Maybe in the year 2050?
I think right now most people just want to survive 2020. haha
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