In a recent letter to the editor (Patient Saf. Surg. 2013, 7:17), Weiss and Moramarco made the claim that surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis is not supported based on the available literature citing no medical indication and high complication rates as compared to non-operative management. In this letter we show that there is a role for surgical treatment as the only predictable option ...

Twenty years ago the late John Cobb first showed me that scoliosis could be interesting. By the very simplicity of his teaching he changed an obscure, incomprehensible deformity into a disease which has fascinated me ever since. I recall gratefully his ability to make the complex simple. I propose to look at this deformity in all its forms, to name the questions one must ask and answer if its e...

Background: There have been no report about the association between physical capacity and health-related quality of life in patients with adolescent idiopathic structural scoliosis (AIS). This study aims to investigate correlation dynamic cardiopulmonary AIS patients.

Introduction The natural history of juvenile idiopathic scoliosis (patients who are least 4 years of age but younger than ten when the deformity is first identified) is usually a progression. In addition, patients who receive a diagnosis at five years or younger have a high chance of progression to a large curve, witch may lead to pulmonary and cardiac complications. The mainstay of conservativ...

PURPOSE To determine if the curve length, curve form, and location of the lower-end vertebra can identify the type of scoliosis. METHODS Standing posteroanterior and lateral radiographs of 78 women and 27 men with scoliosis aged 8 to 32 years were retrospectively analysed. Parameters measured were (1) the curve length (the number of vertebrae in the main curve), (2) the curve form (C-form, in...

BACKGROUND Young adolescents with scoliosis are more likely than adults to experience psychological distress affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Adolescence is a sensitive period of psychological development, and thus physical deformity from scoliosis can negatively affect body image and appearance of adolescents. The present study evaluated HRQoL in young Korean adolescents with ...

Background A recently published NIH-funded study named “Bracing in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Trial” (BrAIST) affirmed the efficacy of bracing for moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and reduced surgical recommendations in braced patients. The implications of this study are numerous. BrAIST affirms the value of bracing, but also confirms the importance of wear time, and points t...

“Idiopathic scoliosis” defines a common and potential ly severe musculoskeletal disorder of unknown etiology, the diagnosis and treatment of which have been central in the development of orthopaedic surgery as a specialty. In its milder forms scoliosis may produce only trunk shape change, but when severe, can be markedly disfiguring as well as producing cardiac and pulmonary compromise (Fig. 18...