Scoliosis: Life, Support & Friends

The outcomes of scoliosis treatment are being evaluated continually in an attempt to optimise the results for each scoliosis patient. The two prinicpal goals of any scoliosis surgery are to limit further curve progression and achieve some degreeof deformity correction. The greater the focus on deformity correction, however, the greater the risk of procedure, with the most obvious risk being limitation of spinal cord function. Advances in surgical technique, instrumentation, and intra-operative monitoring of the spinal cord have allowed greater and safer deformity correction than that achieved with the Harrington rod , which is the correction I had in 1989. The Harrington rod is from the era of the 1960s and 1970s. Deformity correction both radiographically and with regard to trunk shape is important to many patients with scoliosis. The functional outcome after fusion is equally important and may be assessed using a variety of methods, including measurements of physiologic function, s...

TranS1 has pioneered a revolutionary approach to access. The AxiaLIF (Axial Lumbar Interbody Fusion) System includes surgical instruments for creating a safe and reproducible pre-sacral access route to the L5 - S1 vertebral bodies. The AxiaLIF technique features novel instrumentation to enable standard of care fusion principles, distraction and stabilization of the anterior lumbar column, while mitigating the soft tissue trauma associated with traditional lumbar fusion through open surgical incisions. Riley News, in the USA, recently ran a story about a 71 year old mean who had been treated using the less invasive X-Lif procedure. This procedure is done through small stab incisions on the sides to gain access.  Patinets lie on their side for this procedure, allowing the surgeon to remove the affected disc/s and replace with spacers, the surgeon will then lie the patient face down, to allow him to create small stab incisions where he can place screws and fuse the bones with rods. ...