Research article
Treatment of stiff thoracic scoliosis by thoracoscopic anterior release combined with posterior instrumentation and fusion
1 Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
2 Department of Orthopaedics, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
3 The 211th Hospital of PLA, Harbin, China
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research 2007, 2:16 doi:10.1186/1749-799X-2-16
Published: 15 October 2007Abstract
Background
Thoracoscopic anterior release has been shown that it can effectively improve spinal flexibility in animal and human cadaveric studies, and has been advocated for use in patients with scoliosis. This prospective case series aims to investigate the improvement of the spinal flexibility and the effectiveness in deformity correction by anterior thoracoscopic release and posterior spinal fusion.
Methods
Eleven patients with stiff idiopathic thoracic scoliosis underwent anterior thoracoscopic release followed by posterior instrumentation. The average number of discs excised was five. Spinal flexibility was assessed by the fulcrum bending technique. Cobb angle before and after the anterior release was compared.
Results
The patients were followed for an average of 5.6 years (range 2.2 to 8.1 years). Fulcrum bending flexibility was increased from 39% before the thoracoscopic anterior spinal release to 54% after the release. The average Cobb angle before anterior release was 74° on the standing radiograph and 45° with the fulcrum-bending radiograph. This reduced to 34° on the fulcrum-bending radiograph after the release, and highly corresponded to the 31° measured at the post-operative standing radiograph.
Conclusion
It was demonstrated in patients with stiff idiopathic thoracic scoliosis that thoracoscopic anterior spinal release can effectively improve the spinal flexibility and increase the correction of the spinal deformity.
