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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the sagittal spine in AIS patients with double major curves fused into the lumbar spine to determine the effects of posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (PSFI) on global and segmental lumbar sagittal parameters., Methods: A consecutive series of AIS patients undergoing a PSFI from 2012 to 2017 having Lenke 3, 4 or 6 curves were analyzed. Sagittal parameters included pelvic incidence (PI), lumbar lordosis (LL), and segmental lordosis were measured. The difference in segmental lumbar lordosis between the preoperative, 6-week, and 2-year radiographs was analyzed and correlated to outcomes using SRS-30 patient questionnaires., Results: Seventy-seven patients had improvement in their coronal Cobb from 67.3 ± 11.8° to 25.43 ± 10.7° (66.4%) at 2 years. There was no change in thoracic kyphosis (23.0 ± 13.4° to 20.3 ± 7.8°) and pelvic incidence (49.9 ± 13.4° to 51.1 ± 15.7°) from preoperative to 2 years (p > 0.05) while lumbar lordosis increased from 57.6 ± 12.4° to 61.4° ± 12.3° (p = 0.002). Segmental lumbar analysis showed increased (+) lordosis at each instrumented level when comparing the preoperative and 2-year films for: T12-L1 (+ 3.24°, p < 0.001), L1-L2 (+ 5.70°, p < 0.001), and L2-L3 (+ 1.70°, p < 0.001). Loss (-) of lordosis was noted at every level below the LIV: L3-L4 (- 1.70°, p < 0.001), L4-L5 (- 3.52°, p < 0.001), L5-S1 (- 1.98°, p = 0.02). Preoperative LL of L4-S1 comprised 70 ± 16% of the global LL compared to 56 ± 12%, at 2 years (p < 0.001). Changes in sagittal measurements did not correlate with SRS outcome scores at two-year follow-up., Conclusion: When performing PSFI for double major scoliosis, global SVA was maintained at 2 years, however, overall lumbar lordosis increased due to an increased lordosis in the instrumented segments and a smaller decrease in lordosis below the LIV. Surgeons should be wary of the tendency to create instrumented lumbar lordosis with a compensatory loss of lordosis below LIV which may be a set-up for poor long-term outcomes in adulthood., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Scoliosis Research Society.)

Background: The purpose of this study is to describe curve characteristics and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing spinal fusion (SF) to treat thoracogenic scoliosis related to sternotomy and/or thoracotomy as a growing child., Methods: A retrospective review of electronic medical records of all patients with Post-Chest Incision scoliosis treated with SF was performed at 2 tertiary care pediatric institutions over a 19-year period. Curve characteristics, inpatient, and outpatient postoperative outcomes are reported., Results: Thirty-nine patients (62% female) were identified. Eighteen had sternotomy alone, 14 had thoracotomy alone, and 7 had both. Mean age at the time of first chest wall surgery was 2.5 years (range: 1.0 d to 14.2 y). Eighty-five percent of patients had a main thoracic curve (mean major curve angle 72 degrees, range: 40 to 116 degrees) and 15% had a main lumbar curve (mean major curve angle 76 degrees, range: 59 to 83 degrees). Mean thoracic kyphosis was 40 degrees (range: 4 to 84 degrees). Mean age at the time of SF was 14 years (range: 8.2 to 19.9 y). Thirty-six patients had posterior fusions and 3 had combined anterior/posterior. Mean coronal curve correction measured at the first postoperative encounter was 53% (range: 9% to 78%). There were 5 (13%) neuromonitoring alerts and 2 (5%) patients with transient neurological deficits. Mean length of hospital stay was 9±13 days. At an average follow-up time of 3.1±2.4 years, 17 complications (10 medical and 7 surgical) were noted in 9 patients for an overall complication rate of 23%. There was 1 spinal reoperation in the cohort. 2/17 (12%) complications were Clavien-Dindo-Sink class III and 5/17 (29%) were class IV., Conclusion: Kyphotic thoracic curves predominate in patients with Post-Chest Incision scoliosis undergoing SF. Although good coronal and sagittal plane deformity can be expected after a fusion procedure, postoperative complications are not uncommon in medically complex patients, often necessitating longer postoperative stays., Level of Evidence: Level III., Competing Interests: J.S.V. receives grant funding from the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery of North America (POSNA), and Stanford University. J.S.V. is a consultant for Ortho Pediatrics, and a committee member of the SRS Research Grant Committee and POSNA’s Industry Relations Committee and Research Committee, and a former member of the POSNA Evidence-Based Practice committee. M.N.I. is on the ICL committee chair for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and a fellowship committee member for POSNA. Dr. Anthony I Riccio receives royalties for chapter authorship from Elsevier, is an honoraria for Industry Sponsored Educational Symposium at The European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society annual meeting, received travel support from the Orthopaedic Trauma Association for directing the Comprehensive Resident Fracture Course Pediatric Trauma Module (2019/2018, is a member of the board of directors for the Children’s Orthopaedic Trauma and Infection Consortium for Evidence Based Studies, and receives medical equipment donations for investigational initiated research from Arthrx. L.R. received payment for expert testimony of legal documents before 2019. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To identify all patients with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita presenting to a specialized pediatric orthopedic institution over a 28-year period; classify them into three groups (general arthrogryposis not otherwise specified [NOS], amyoplasia, or distal arthrogryposis); report the frequency of various musculoskeletal features; and determine the rate of operative treatment., Method: Patients with arthrogryposis under the age of 18 years who presented between 1990 and 2017 were included. Patients were placed into one of three groups based on clinical features and family history when available. Age of presentation, joint involvement, and utilization of surgical treatment were recorded., Results: There were 417 patients in total (184 females, 233 males); 235 patients (56.4%) had general arthrogryposis NOS, 107 (25.7%) had amyoplasia, and 75 (18.0%) had distal arthrogryposis. Patients with amyoplasia presented at a younger age (median 4mo) than those with general arthrogryposis NOS (median 1y 3mo, p=0.005), and had a lower rate of spine involvement than patients with general arthrogryposis NOS (p=0.004) and distal arthrogryposis (p=0.023). The average number of surgeries across all patients was 1.9 (SD 2.2)., Interpretation: Pediatric patients with amyoplasia present to orthopedic care earlier and are less likely to have spine involvement than other forms of arthrogryposis. Multiple surgeries are common among all patients with arthrogryposis., (© 2021 Mac Keith Press.)

Purpose: Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) has historically been difficult to obtain in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. Transcranial motor-evoked potentials (TcMEPs) have been found to be safe and effective for other spinal deformity patients. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of TcMEP monitoring in patients with CMT., Methods: An IRB-approved, retrospective review of CMT patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery assessing TcMEP, somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP), and neurogenic motor evoked potential (NMEP) IONM was performed. A 2:1 matched cohort control group of idiopathic spinal deformity patients was used. A waveform grading system was applied to review baseline TcMEP reliability and quality, which was validated via intraclass correlation coefficient amongst five raters., Results: Twenty-three CMT patients (26 surgical cases) were identified. The use of TcMEP improved the ability to obtain baseline IONM when compared to SSEP (83% vs. 20%; p < 0.001) and NMEP (83% vs. 18%; p = 0.003). Baseline monitoring was obtained less often for CMT patients using SSEP (20% vs. 100%; p < 0.001) and TcMEP (83% vs. 100%; p = 0.111) compared to idiopathic patients. Sweep length (time from stimulation waveform evaluation) and maximum stimulation voltage were higher in the CMT group (289 ms vs. 111 ms p = 0.007 and 740 V vs. 345 V p = 0.089, respectively)., Conclusion: TcMEP monitoring significantly improves the ability to provide IONM for CMT patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery. Utilizing longer sweep lengths enhances the ability to attain baseline TcMEP readings, allowing surgeons to more safely proceed with surgery for these complex patients., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic-Level III., (© 2021. Scoliosis Research Society.)

Background: Obesity rates continue to rise among children and adolescents across the globe. A multicenter research consortium composed of institutions in the Southern US, located in states endemic for childhood obesity, was formed to evaluate the effect of obesity on pediatric musculoskeletal disorders. This study evaluates the effect of body mass index (BMI) percentile and socioeconomic status (SES) on surgical site infections (SSIs) and perioperative complications in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) treated with posterior spinal fusion (PSF)., Methods: Eleven centers in the Southern US retrospectively reviewed postoperative AIS patients after PSF between 2011 and 2017. Each center contributed data to a centralized database from patients in the following BMI-for-age groups: normal weight (NW, 5th to <85th percentile), overweight (OW, 85th to <95th percentile), and obese (OB, ≥95th percentile). The primary outcome variable was the occurrence of an SSI. SES was measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), with higher scores indicating a lower SES., Results: Seven hundred fifty-one patients were included in this study (256 NW, 235 OW, and 260 OB). OB and OW patients presented with significantly higher ADIs indicating a lower SES (P<0.001). In addition, SSI rates were significantly different between BMI groups (0.8% NW, 4.3% OW, and 5.4% OB, P=0.012). Further analysis showed that superficial and not deep SSIs were significantly different between BMI groups. These differences in SSI rates persisted even while controlling for ADI. Wound dehiscence and readmission rates were significantly different between groups (P=0.004 and 0.03, respectively), with OB patients demonstrating the highest rates. EBL and cell saver return were significantly higher in overweight patients (P=0.007 and 0.002, respectively)., Conclusion: OB and OW AIS patients have significantly greater superficial SSI rates than NW patients, even after controlling for SES., Level of Evidence: Level III., Competing Interests: J.T.B. is a paid consultant for Depuy-Synthes, A Johnson & Johnson Company, and OrthoPediatrics; is a paid presenter or speaker at Medtronic Spine. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The routine use of Ponte osteotomies in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) surgery is controversial with conflicting data for coronal plane correction and little analysis in the sagittal plane. The objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy of Ponte osteotomies in large curve AIS., Methods: A single institution, prospectively-collected series of consecutive AIS patients who had Ponte osteotomies (P cohort) was directly matched to patients with no Pontes (NP cohort) by age, gender, Lenke classification, surgeon, coronal, and sagittal Cobb angles. The radiographic review included adjusted values using a 3D-derived published formula for preoperative T5-T12 kyphosis. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed with the SRS-30 and Spinal Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ)., Results: There were 68 patients (34/cohort) with minimum 2-year follow-up with no differences between P and NP cohorts in age, preoperative coronal Cobb (74.5° vs 70.8°), flexibility index, measured or 3D-adjusted T5-T12 kyphosis. Rod material/diameter, fusion levels, blood loss, and operative time did not differ, but implant density was higher in the P group (1.53 vs 1.31, p < 0.001). The P group had 7.9% greater coronal Cobb correction (66.6% vs 58.7%, p < 0.003) without difference in final Cobb angles (24.7° vs. 29.1°, p = 0.052). There were no differences in measured or adjusted T5-T12 kyphosis in the sagittal plane. The P group had a 15% rate of critical intraoperative neuromonitoring changes versus 0% in the NP group (p = 0.053). At follow-up, there were no differences in scoliometer measurements or any domain of SRS-30 or SAQ scores., Conclusion: In this first reported matched series of AIS patients, Ponte osteotomies provide small radiographic gains in the coronal plane with no improvement in the sagittal plane and no change in truncal rotation. There was a higher risk of critical intraoperative neuromonitoring changes, and no benefits in patient-reported outcomes. This calls into question the routine use of Ponte osteotomies in AIS, even for curves averaging 70 degrees., Level of Evidence: II., (© 2021. Scoliosis Research Society.)

Background: In-brace correction and brace compliance with thoraco-lumbo-sacral orthotic (TLSO) braces are associated with successful treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This paper compares patients who had consistent radiographic documentation of in-brace correction to those who did not., Methods: All skeletally immature (Risser 0-2) patients were treated for AIS (25-45°) with full-time TLSO braces that had compliance temperature monitors. All patients wore their braces at least 12 h a day. Brace failure was defined as curve progression to a surgical magnitude (≥ 50°). All patients were followed until brace discontinuation., Results: Ninety patients (F 82, M 8) with an average age of 12.1 (10.1-15.0) years, Risser grade 0 (0-2), BMI percentile 48.5 (0.0-98.8), and daily brace wear of 16.5 (12.1-21.6) h/day were treated for 24.3 (8.0-66.6) months. Patients went through 1.7 (1-4) braces on average. Forty-two out of 90 (46.7%) patients had some amount of brace time with an unknown in-brace correction, which, on average, was 66.1% of their total treatment course (11.5-100). On univariate analysis, patients that did not have a repeat in-brace x-ray with major brace adjustments or new brace fabrication tended to be more skeletally immature (Risser 0 and tri-radiate open, p = 0.028), wear more braces throughout their treatment (2.0 vs 1.4, p < 0.001), were treated for a longer period of time (27 vs 22 months, p = 0.022), and failed bracing more often (47.6% vs 22.9%, p = 0.014)., Conclusions: Patients who did not have new in-brace x-rays with major brace adjustments and/or new brace fabrication were 3.1 (95% CI 1.2-7.6) times more likely to fail bracing than patients who were re-checked with new in-brace x-rays., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov- NCT02412137 , initial registration date April 2015 LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Historically, early-onset scoliosis was treated with early fusion to prevent further deformity at the expense of thoracic growth. This has proven to have a detrimental effect on pulmonary function. The purpose of this study is to evaluate patients' pulmonary and functional status at long-term follow-up after undergoing thoracic fusion at a young age., Methods: All patients at a single institution who had undergone thoracic spinal fusion prior to age nine with minimum 13-year follow-up were eligible. Patients underwent pulmonary function testing, radiographic analysis, and functional testing. Results were compared to the patients' previous pulmonary function data at average of 11 years post-surgery., Results: Fifteen out of twenty-eight eligible patients returned for testing. The average age at the time of surgery was 3.3 years (range 0.9-8.4 years) with follow-up of 23.6 years (range 13.2-33.2 years). There was a statistically significant interval decline in predicted forced vital capacity (42.8% versus 54.7% of normal predicted values, p = 0.0001) and predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (42.2% versus 55.2% of normal predicted values, p = 0.0001) when compared to previous follow-up. There was a strong positive correlation between thoracic height and forced vital capacity (r = 0.925, p = 0.002)., Conclusions: Pulmonary function in patients who had undergone thoracic spinal fusion for scoliosis prior to the age of six continues to decline into adulthood at a rate that is faster than that of their peers. The majority of these patients have clinically important restrictive lung disease, which can be fatal. Alternative treatment strategies should be considered., Level of Evidence: III.

Purpose: Selective thoracic fusion (STF) for double curve patterns in idiopathic scoliosis is an attractive treatment option. However, short-term coronal decompensation and truncal imbalance are known findings. Previous studies with hook constructs showed that eventually balance is achieved via an increase in lumbar curve magnitude, as the lumbosacral obliquity did not change following surgery. Our aim is to investigate patients with idiopathic curves who underwent STF using all-pedicle screw constructs to determine if the uninstrumented lumbar curve and lumbosacral obliquity responded in the same manner as was previously reported with all-hook constructs., Methods: 102 consecutive patients with Lenke 1B, 1C or 3C curves who underwent STF using all-screw constructs at a single institution were included in this study. Radiographic assessment was performed, and patient reported outcomes were obtained. Subgroup analyses were performed based on preoperative thoracic: lumbar curve ratio as well as lumbar curve magnitude., Results: Overall, the patients showed statistically significant improvement in both trunk shift and L4-pelvis obliquity at final follow-up. The uninstrumented lumbar curves trended toward improvement over time, but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.107). SRS-30 scores were statistically significantly improved in multiple domains., Conclusion: Selective thoracic fusion is an excellent treatment option in most double curve patterns. Balance in the coronal plane is predictably achieved at 2-year follow-up. The lumbosacral obliquity improves more with screw technology than was previously found with hook constructs; therefore, the improvement in balance over time does not depend upon an increase in the uninstrumented lumbar curve., Level of Evidence: IV.

Patients who underwent thoracic spinal fusion at a young age returned at minimum 18-year follow-up for pulmonary function and functional activity testing. There was a statistically significant decline in their pulmonary function test results when compared to previous values from 11-year follow-up, and their functional activity was limited.