Sublaminar devices for the correction of scoliosis: metal wire versus polyester tape.

The authors conducted a retrospective study comparing the corrective effect of two sublaminar techniques on scoliosis: the classical one, based on metal wire, and a more recent one, based on polyester tape (thoracic Universal Clamp), known to be safer (less risk of neurological damage, less laminar breakthrough) and compatible with MRI. Lumbar screws were used in both groups. The authors composed two groups of 25 scoliosis patients, matched for gender, age, aetiology, anterior release, number of levels fused, number of infections, major curve and flexibility: there was no significant difference. Only the follow-up period was different: 55 months in the metal wire group, versus 17 months in the polyester tape group (p < 0.001), but this was immaterial because the curves were compared one year after surgery. After one year there was no significant difference between both groups, as to correction in the coronal or in the sagittal plane. This means that the polyester tape technique offers an interesting alternative, given that it yields supplementary advantages, as mentioned above.