Hemivertebra in monozygotic twins

Study Design. A case report. Objectives, To report and discuss a case of thoracic hemivertebra in monozygotic twins. Summary of Background Data. The etiology of congenital scoliosis remains unclear. Both a genetic basis and environmental influences have been postulated. A few isolated reports of discordant spinal anomalies in twins exist. Methods, Clinical examination and plain radiograph evaluation were performed on female monozygotic twins with congenital scoliosis secondary to thoracic hemivertebra. Results, Congenital thoracic scoliosis was documented in both of a set of monozygotic twins. Conclusions. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of similar congenital vertebral abnormalities in identical twins in the English literature.