RESULTS OF SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF SCOLIOSIS IN CHILDREN WITH MYELOMENINGOCELE

This study reports about the experiences in surgical correction of scoliosis, which were performed between 1984 and 1989 in 32 children with myelomeningocele. The average age at time of surgery was 14 years, 1 months; the average degree of scoliosis von 96-degrees preoperatively. 6 different types of surgical techniques were used. In comparison the best results were obtained by a combination of ventral osteodiscectomy with or without instrumentation and dorsal CD-instrumentation; an improvement of 56% was found. Furthermore we sent questionnairies to all patients, who were operated more then one year ago. The majority of them judges the improved sitting stability of the trunk to be the greatest advantage. There is a high rate of postoperative complications. Beside one death, which occurred intraoperatively, especially pseudarthroses of the lumbosacral junction must be mentioned. These pseudarthroses and a to short selected area of fusion are the main reasons for the loss of correction, which was noticed after a mean follow-up period of 24,6 months. The necessity of postoperative bracing was not reduced by using CD-instrumentation.