A Retrospective Study on Dual Growing Rod at the End of Treatment

Study design: Retrospective review of patients affected by Early Onset Scoliosis (EOS), treated with dual growing rod (GR) and reached final posterior arthrodesis. Objective: To evaluate the trend of main thoracic and kyphotic curves during treatment with GR until final fusion. Background context: Previous studies analysed the effect of GR implantation and lengthening during treatment of patients affected by EOS. The sagittal balance has not been previously evaluated. Methods: 52 patients affected by EOS, treated with growing implants from 2007 to 2017 at our Institution were reviewed. We considered 10 consecutive patients treated with dual mechanical GR and reached final arthrodesis. The lengthening are made every 10-12 months. The minimum follow-up was 2 years and the minimum number of lengthening was 2. Every patients were monitored with periodic anteroposterior and lateral X-Ray. Measurements of the main thoracic curve and of kyphosis were performed according to Cobb method at different stages of treatment. Results: Both main thoracic and kyphotic curves had similar trends during treatment. The main thoracic curve improved from a mean pre-op value of 63,8° Cobb to a mean value of 39° Cobb after placement of GR. During lengthening, there was a loss of correction. After final arthrodesis, the average angle of main thoracic curve was 47,6° Cobb. The kyphosis changed from a mean pre-op angle of 62°, to a mean angle of 40,2° after the treatment with GR. The measure at the end of lengthenings was 49,9° and after the final arthrodesis the average angle of the kyphosis was 49,6° Cobb. Conclusion: Both main thoracic and kyphotic curves show a fluctuating trend. The first implant represents the most corrective system, instead lengthening shows a partial loss of correction. The final correction obtained by definitive arthrodesis is comparable to the first correction. The main reason for this trend could be the progressive autofusion of the spine during treatment, which causes a progressive stiffness of the spine. *Corresponding author: Paola Zarantonello, Department of Spine Deformity, IRCCS Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute – Via Giulio Cesare Pupilli, 1, 40136-Bologna BO, Italy, Tel: +393478379071; E-mail: paola.zarantonello@ior.it, p.zarantonello1@gmail.com Received November 06, 2018; Accepted November 19, 2018; Published November 21, 2018 Citation: Zarantonello P, Tedesco G, Maredi E, Martikos K, Vommaro F, et al. (2018) A Retrospective Study on Dual Growing Rod at the End of Treatment. J Spine 7: 423. doi: 10.4172/2165-7939.1000423 Copyright: © 2018 Zarantonello P, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.