Surgical treatment of juvenile progressive scoliosis (preliminary report)

Ten children with juvenile malignant progressive scoliosis were operated on at the Novosibirsk Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics and Adolescent Vertebrology. The applied methods includes epiphyseospondylodesis along the convex side of the curvature, step- by-step distractions using the endocorrector assembled of the elements of Cotrel-Dubuosset instrumentation arranged for pediatric application and final posterior spondylodesis when patient reaches the pubertal age. The main principle of the method is the simultaneous suppression of the vertebral bodies growth on the convex side of the curvature with the activization of growth on the concave side. Initial mean deformity was 81°, after epiphyseospondylodesis and the first step of distraction — 41.7°, after the third step — 44.8° (average follow up period — 14.1 months). The results obtained during the first two years show the expediency of the further work in this direction.