Treatment of Congenital Scoliosis

Congenital scoliosis is a structural deformity due to congenital anomaly of the spine. After Winter's report in 1973, congenital scoliosis is said to be progressive in 75% of cases, and 50% are rapidly progressive, serious and demand treatment. And thus, most of them need more aggressive and early treatment compared with idiopathic scoliosis. The prognosis depends on the type, angle and flexibility of the curvature, and the age of patient. The authors reviewed the results of operative treatment for the congenital scoliosis that had been treated from Jan. 1984 to Dec. 1993 at the orthopedic department of Yonsei University College of Medicine, and the results as follows. 1. The age distribution of the patients was from 2 years to 14 years, and the mean was 8.4 years. Five male patients and two female patients were operated. 2. The involved spinal segments of the primary curve were 2 cases of thoracolumbar, 3 cases of lumbar. There were two cases of double major curves. 3. According to MacEwen's classification, the types of vertebral anomaly were 4 cases of hemivertebra, 2 cases of miscellaneous and one case of wedge vertebra. 4. The levels of apical vertebra were each 1 case of T3, T9, Ll, L2, L4 respectively and each 2 cases of T12, L3 respectively. 5. The methods of operation included 1 case of resection of rib, 4 cases of posterior fusion, 1 case of combined anterior and posterior hemiepiphysiodesis and fusion, and 1 case of hemivertebra excision with spine fusion. 6. The curvature of spine on admission ranged form 10 degrees to 63 degrees, and the mean angle was 35.5 degrees. And, we followed up postoperatively from 1 year to 10 years, and the mean follow up period was 32 months. The final correction angles were from -7 degrees to 23 degrees, and the mean correction angle was 7.3 degrees. 7. There was no pseudarthrosis of fusion site, and no increase of correction angle in all cases except one case. Excellent result was presented after the operation which was performed before the pubertal growth spurt.ope