HELP FOR SCOLIOSIS
It's a condition that can leave the spine severely twisted, causing pain and in some cases difficulty breathing. It's called scoliosis. For cases that require major spinal surgery, there's now a new less invasive option.
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Since she was a small child, miliana arana has dreamt of being a dancer. But last year - at age fourteen - her mother noticed something that nearly shattered her dreams.
Evelyn Arana
Miliana's mother
"I noticed her from the back, which is an angle we don't often see, and I noticed that she was leaning to one side."
Miliana Arana
Has scoliosis
"She kept asking me why was I leaning to one side, and I told her I wasn't doing it on purpose."
X-rays of miliana's spine showed a curve of more than 45 degrees. She had scoliosis and needed surgery.
Instead of standard spinal fusion - which requires a long incision down the back - doctor baron lonner opted for a new, less invasive technique. By going in from the side, it disrupts less muscle and leaves only these small scars.
Baron Lonner, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgeon
Lenox Hill Hospital
New York, NY
"We go between the ribs and we remove the discs."
Using thoracoscopic surgery, discs between the vertebrae are replaced with bone from miliana's ribs. A titanium rod and screws are then used to squeeze the vertebrae together, straightening the spine.
Baron Lonner, M.D.
"We fuse less levels of the spine, so that long term they have better flexibility and less risk of the lower discs of the spine wearing down, and their recovery is much quicker."
This is miliana's spine before surgery - and six months later. She's been given the okay to start dancing again.
Each year, more than one hundred thousand children in the united states are diagnosed with scoliosis. Of every one thousand children, three to five of them will develop spinal curves large enough to need treatment.
WHAT IS SCOLIOSIS? Scoliosis is a musculoskeletal disorder in which there is a sideways curvature of the spine, or backbone. The bones that make up the spine are called vertebrae. Some people who have scoliosis require treatment. Others, who have milder curves, may only need a brace or a periodic visit to their doctor.
WHO HAS SCOLIOSIS? People of all ages can have scoliosis. Each year, more than 100,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with scoliosis. Of every 1,000 children, three to five of them will develop spinal curves considered large enough to need treatment. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type of scoliosis and occurs after age 10. In the majority of patients, the cause of scoliosis is unknown; this is called idiopathic scoliosis. The condition tends to run in families and girls tend to require surgery four-times more often than boys. Large curvatures may eventually affect the patient's ability to breathe.
OLD SURGERY: Fifty years ago, patients who underwent scoliosis surgery were confined to bed and a body cast for up to one year, and the surgery only partially straightened their spines. The surgery often left the rib cage twisted and left a long scar. Even some modern surgical procedures for scoliosis require long incisions down the back with extensive cutting, stripping and retracting of muscle and tissue to access the spine.
NEW SURGERY: A new minimally invasive surgery for scoliosis has evolved over the past five years. It is performed endoscopically through one-inch incisions using video cameras and monitors. Rather than making a long incision along a patient's back, doctors enter the chest through several small incisions beneath the arm. Discs between the vertebrae are replaced with bone from another part of the body. A titanium rod and screws are then used to squeeze the vertebrae together, thus straightening the spine. Over the 4 to 6 months after surgery, those discs will consolidate and become solid, forming a fused spinal column. Baron Lonner, M.D., from Scoliosis Associates, is one of the few doctors who performs the surgery in the United States. He says, "Working on the front of the spine allows more maneuverability and allows a better correction than a surgery done through the back. It also produces cosmetically better results, less scarring, and a shorter recovery period. Patients also require less pain medication following surgery and are mobile earlier."
Baron Lonner, M.D.
Scoliosis Associates
212 East 69th Street
New York, NY 10021
(212) 737-5540
www.scoliosisassociates.com
Copyright © 2003 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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