Scoliosis: Life, Support & Friends

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the launch of the TSRH ® 3Dx ™ Spinal System. Designed with procedural efficiency in mind, the TSRH 3Dx Spinal System offers two screws designed to address multiple pathologies. The Multi Planar Adjusting (MPA ® ) Screw option provides surgeons a variable angle posted screw for targeted, controlled correction maneuvers. The OSTEOGRIP ® Screw enhances bone fixation by incorporating a dual-lead thread pattern that reduces toggle at the bone-screw interface. Building on more than 20 years of clinical success, this next generation pedicle screw system includes competitive differentiating technology for addressing multiple spinal pathologies, from degenerative disc disease to spinal deformity. The system also offers CHROMALOY™ rods and a minimally invasive capability. “The TSRH 3Dx Spinal System allows me to better match solutions to specific patient needs,” said Dr. Brett Scott. “It gives me confidence by marrying new technologies with a long cl...

Scoliosos Journal discusses the pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in girls - a double neuro-osseous theory involving disharmony between two nervous systems, somatic and autonomic expressed in the spine and trunk: possible dependency on sympathetic nervous system and hormones with implications for medical therapy. Authors: R Geoffrey Burwell, Ranjit K Aujla, Michael P Grevitt, Peter H Dangerfield, Alan Moulton, Tabitha L Randell and Susan I Anderson Published: 31 October 2009 Anthropometric data from three groups of adolescent girls - preoperative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), screened for scoliosis and normals were analysed by comparing skeletal data between higher and lower body mass index subsets. Unexpected findings for each of skeletal maturation, asymmetries and overgrowth are not explained by prevailing theories of AIS pathogenesis. A speculative pathogenetic theory for girls is formulated after surveying evidence including: (1) the thoracospinal concept ...

Scoliosis journal published research about relatively lower body mass index and how it is associated with an excess of severe truncal asymmetry in healthy adolescents: do white adipose tissue, leptin, hypothalamus and sympathetic nervous system influence truncal growth asymmetry? Authors: Theodoros B Grivas, R GEOFFREY Burwell, Constantinos Mihas, Elias S Vasiliadis, Georgios Triantafyllopoulos and Angelos Kaspiris Background In healthy adolescents normal back shape asymmetry, here termed truncal asymmetry (TA), is evaluated by higher and lower subsets of BMI. The study was initiated after research on girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) showed that higher and lower BMI subsets discriminated patterns of skeletal maturation and asymmetry unexplained by existing theories of pathogenesis leading to a new interpretation which has therapeutic implications (double neuro-osseous theory). Methods 5953 adolescents age 11-17 years (boys 2939, girls 3014) were examined in a school scr...