thoracoplasty...should i do it?

[dancerchick15]

i'm considering having a thoracoplasty done next summer to help my rip hump. i had congenital scoliosis with an eighty degree curve diagnosed at age two surgery at age three brace wear following it. i'm sixteen now and this would be a revision surgery because it wasn't done back then. has anyone had a thoracoplasty not during their regular surgery, but later on? was it a big improvement? how was the recovery? did it compromise your lung function? i really want to have this done since with an eighty degree s curve then and a fifty-ish degree curve now it is really a severe rib hump. i just want to know any information anyone has about it and if it is worth the pain and discomfort. my doctor has already approved it, it is my decision but i want to make the right one. thanks in advance for your help,
alex
also i read somewhere about a boy who had teeth pulled during a rod lengthening procedure? i need my wisdom teeth out does anyone know if they could do it at the same time as the surgery???

[dancerchick15]

thoracoplasty...a reply????

hey, just trying to attract some new attention to my post since i haven't got a reply yet! still wondering if anyone here has had a thoracoplasty years after their surgery and what it was like i would appreciate any information you have thanks!

[LindaRacine]

Hi Alex...

I didn't have a thoracoplasty, but know quite a few people who have had them. If done well, the improvement can be huge. My advice would be to make sure your doctor does plenty of them. Get the names and phone numbers for at least 2-3 patients on whom s/he's done thoracoplasties, and talk to them. If possible, meet them so you can see their results.

I don't have a clue about whether your particular surgeon will agree to having your wisdom teeth removed under the same anesthesia, but I can tell you that many surgeons would be very concerned about infection.

Good luck!

Regards,
Linda

[KRIS ATKINSON]

I didn't respond originally because my daughter had all her surgery done at once, which is not what you are asking. However, I'll cast my opinion now. Her thoracoplasty improved the rib hump, but she still has one. She was having discomfort before surgery due to the rib hump shoving her shoulder forward uncomfortably, so it was a functional decision, not just for how she looked. Also, the fact that it only added 40 minutes to a procedure which was already many hours long with all the recovery it takes for the surgery in general, we decided to reduce the hump while she was already in surgery. I doubt that we would have thoracoplasty done by itself simply because of all the recovery time necessary. However, I saw a child with a prominent hump yesterday at Shriners, who was abour 9 years old and very small. She had posterior only and nothing done about her hump due to her small size. In her case, if I had the option when she gets older and her doctor gives the ok, I would encourage the surgery because her hump looks obvious at a distance. My opinion only. Good luck with your decisions. I am postponing all the major dental work until 1 year post-op, just to be safe and not have more discomfort than she already has with recovery. She does have a cleaning/check-up that I have to ask the doctor if she can do soon. Kris

[dancerchick15]

thanks!

thanks for your replies! to linda, as for the doctor, i've been going to Dr. Winters originally and now Dr. Lonstein in Minneapolis for thirteen years. i assume with your extensive knowledge of everything scoliosis that you are familiar with them. The idea about talking with other patients is good and Dr. Lonstein is supposed to mail me the contacts of a couple of patients. to chris, yes the girl you saw sounds a lot like me. i know it won't make my rib hump go away but its supposed to be like a thirty percent reduction which in my case is quite a bit. thanks for all your help! i'd appreciate any other information anyone has.

[llanning]

I had the procedure done at age 50 (many years after my fusion). The recovery was very uncomfortable. I had a chest tube for about a week. Once out of the hospital I could resume normal activity. My doctor did an endoscopic procedure, taking out about 4 inches of 4 ribs. I wish I could say that the rib hump is gone but it's not. I was hoping for better results. I guess it depends on your expectations.

[Diana Black]

Hi, my exoerience is similar to llaning's. I had just a thoracoplasty a few years ago (mid-30s) as they didn't think then I neede the main op. It was extremely painful and I had a long recovery period (3-4 months), when I was often in tears from the pain and was unable to walk more than a few steps, prepare food, etc, for at least the first two. Also spent a lot of time sleeping. There was some improvement in appearance, but only from the back, not from the side. My case is a bit different from yours, though, as I am older and also have AIS - no curvature until I was 12. Best of luck!