Scoliosis: Life, Support & Friends

Scoliosis Journal reported on tonsillar ectopia in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: does it play a role in the pathogenesis and prognosis or is it only an incidental finding? Authors: Kasim Abul-Kasim, Angelica Overgaard, Magnus K. Karlsson and Acke Ohlin Published: 12 November 2009 Abstract (provisional) Background There is an ongoing controversy about the significance of tonsillar ectopia among patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Aim: To find out if tonsillar ectopia occurs more frequently among patients with AIS and if it plays any etiological or prognostic role in AIS. Study design: Retrospective study. Methods Retrospective analysis of 155 consecutive spine MRIs (79 patients with AIS and 76 controls; aged 7-25 years; 55 % were female) with regard to the position of the cerebellar tonsils in relation to foramen magnum and the sagittal diameter of foramen magnum. All images were evaluated independently by two neuroradiologists. Interobserver reliability analysis w...

Scoliosis journal reported a case report about undiagnosed osteoid osteoma of the spine presenting as painful scoliosis from adolescence to adulthood Authors: George Sapkas, Nicolas Efstathopoulos and Michael Papadakis Abstract (provisional) Presented here is a case of a young woman, with an undiagnosed osteoid osteoma of the spine, which presented with painful scoliosis in adolescence and was treated by bracing until her accession to adulthood. A more thorough investigation, years after the initial one, revealed the tumor. Surgical excision and stabilization offered the long- awaited cure. Misdiagnosis resulted in intractable pain for years, deformity, the discomfort of brace therapy, and the frustration of a prolonged yet ineffective treatment. Background The most common cause of painful Scoliosis in adolescents is osteoid osteoma of the spine. Up to 25% of all Osteoid Osteomas are found in the spine, of which 60% are located in the lumbar spine, 27% of the cervical, 12% in the thor...

Slightly off topic here for a Scoliosis blog but hey I have other stuff going on in my life which does not involve Scoliosis so I might as well share that too! Welcome to CupCake and her first post, nice of you to share your thoughts with us and a pleasure to write alongside you - XX I have been tossing and turning so far all night and it is now 3am so I decided to get up and blog!!!! I am not sure why I cannot sleep, it happens every now and then, to all the insomniacs out there, I sympathise with you, I really do. I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow and an early start so the last thing I need right now is to be blogging, I should be asleep! The adoption must be keeping me awake even though I am trying not to think about it, however, all the paperwork is dragging me down and we are going covering ground we have already trodden on, our adoption agency "forgot" to ask us for CRB checks from Spain so our paperwork has been delayed, due to this delay previous papers that had ...