Resection of congenital hemivertebra in pediatric scoliosis: the experience of a two-specialty surgical team

OBJECTIVE Institutions investigating value and quality emphasize utilization of two attending surgeons with different areas of technical expertise to treat complex surgical cases and to minimize complications. Here, the authors chronicle the 12-year experience of using a two–attending surgeon, two-specialty model to perform hemivertebra resection in the pediatric population. METHODS Retrospective cohort data from 2008 to 2019 were obtained from the NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital operative database. This database included all consecutive pediatric patients < 21 years old who underwent hemivertebra resection performed with the two–attending surgeon (neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeon) model. Demographic information was extracted. Intraoperative complications, including durotomy and direct neurological injury, were queried from the clinical records. Intraoperative neuromonitoring data were evaluated. Postoperative complications were queried, and length of follow-up was determined from the clinical records. RESULTS From 2008 to 2019, 22 patients with a median (range) age of 9.1 (2.0–19.3) years underwent hemivertebra resection with the two–attending surgeon, two-specialty model. The median (range) number of levels fused was 2 (0–16). The mean (range) operative time was 5 hours and 14 minutes (2 hours and 59 minutes to 8 hours and 30 minutes), and the median (range) estimated blood loss was 325 (80–2700) ml. Navigation was used in 14% (n = 3) of patients. Neither Gardner-Wells tongs nor halo traction was used in any operation. Neuromonitoring signals significantly decreased or were lost in 14% (n = 3) of patients. At a mean ± SD (range) follow-up of 4.6 ± 3.4 (1.0–11.6) years, 31% (n = 7) of patients had a postoperative complication, including 2 instances of proximal junctional kyphosis, 2 instances of distal junctional kyphosis, 2 wound complications, 1 instance of pseudoarthrosis with hardware failure, and 1 instance of screw pullout. The return to the operating room (OR) rate was 27% (n = 6), which included patients with the abovementioned wound complications, distal junctional kyphosis, pseudoarthrosis, and screw pullout, as well as a patient who required spinal fusion after loss of motor evoked potentials during index surgery. CONCLUSIONS Twenty-two patients underwent hemivertebra resection with a two–attending surgeon, two-specialty model over a 12-year period at a specialized children’s hospital, with a 14% rate of change in neuromonitoring, 32% rate of nonneurological complications, and a 27% rate of unplanned return to the OR.

Posterior hemivertebra resection and short-segment fusion with lateral mass screws in congenital scoliosis: a novel strategy for the resource-limited setting

Background Posterior hemivertebra resection and short-segment fusion with pedicle screws are an established treatment in congenital scoliosis, which require pediatric-specific instrumentation. The purpose of this study was to report the results of utilizing cervical lateral mass screws instead of pedicle screws in the treatment of congenital scoliosis in children younger than 5 years old. Methods In an IRB-approved retrospective chart review study, patients <5 years old with congenital scoliosis who underwent posterior hemivertebra resection and fusion with lateral mass screws from 2013 to 2017 were included. Demographic information, pre- and post-operative radiographs, complications, and outcomes were extracted from the charts. Results Twenty-three patients were included in the final analysis with a mean age of 40 months, of which 14 were female. Patients were followed for a mean of 51.3±13.2 months. The mean blood loss was 210ml, and patients were hospitalized for a mean of 4 days post-operatively. The correction rate of the main coronal curve, compensatory cranial curve, compensatory caudal curve, and segmental sagittal curve was 74.8%, 68%, 65.2%, and 68.9%, respectively. Three complications were observed: one intra-operative pedicle fracture, one case of implant failure, and one deep surgical-site infection, all of which were successfully managed. Conclusions Our findings suggest that adult lateral mass screws can be used for transpedicular fixation of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in low-resource settings where pediatric-specific pedicle instruments are not readily available. The correction rate, outcomes, and complications are similar and comparable to pediatric-specific pedicle screws, in addition to being low-profile and less bulky compared to adult implants.

Posterior thoracolumbar hemivertebra resection and short-segment fusion in congenital scoliosis: surgical outcomes and complications with more than 5-year follow-up

Background Treatment of congenital hemivertebra is challenging and data on long-term follow-up (≥ 5 years) are lacking. This study evaluated the surgical outcomes of posterior thoracolumbar hemivertebra resection and short-segment fusion with pedicle screw fixation for treatment of congenital scoliosis with over 5-year follow-up. Methods This study evaluated 27 consecutive patients with congenital scoliosis who underwent posterior thoracolumbar hemivertebra resection and short-segment fusion from January 2007 to January 2015. Segmental scoliosis, total main scoliosis, compensatory cranial curve, compensatory caudal curve, trunk shift, shoulder balance, segmental kyphosis, and sagittal balance were measured on radiographs. Radiographic outcomes and all intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. Results The segmental main curve was 40.35° preoperatively, 11.94° postoperatively, and 13.24° at final follow-up, with an average correction of 65.9%. The total main curve was 43.39° preoperatively, 14.13° postoperatively, and 16.06° at final follow-up, with an average correction of 60.2%. The caudal and cranial compensatory curves were corrected from 15.78° and 13.21° to 3.57° and 6.83° postoperatively and 4.38° and 7.65° at final follow-up, with an average correction of 69.2% and 30.3%, respectively. The segmental kyphosis was corrected from 34.30° to 15.88° postoperatively and 15.12° at final follow-up, with an average correction of 61.9%. A significant correction (p < 0.001) in segmental scoliosis, total main curve, caudal compensatory curves and segmental kyphosis was observed from preoperative to the final follow-up. The correction in the compensatory cranial curve was significant between preoperative and postoperative and 2-year follow-up (p < 0.001), but a statistically significant difference was not observed between the preoperative and final follow-up (p > 0.001). There were two implant migrations, two postoperative curve progressions, five cases of proximal junctional kyphosis, and four cases of adding-on phenomena. Conclusion Posterior thoracolumbar hemivertebra resection after short-segment fusion with pedicle screw fixation in congenital scoliosis is a safe and effective method for treatment and can achieve rigid fixation and deformity correction.

Lumbar hemivertebra resection in congenital scoliosis utilizing cone-beam navigation: less radiation, more accuracy—proof of concept

Purpose To present the first known pediatric utilization of cone-beam navigation system (CBNS) for hemivertebra resection and spondylodesis Case presentation A 14-year-old female with congenital scoliosis, diagnosed at 8 years of age, presenting with progressive symptoms, a Cobb angle (L3-5) of 38° at time of surgery, treated historically with conservative measures. Presence of spinal intramedullary disease was excluded prior to operation via whole spine MRI. Results Patient successfully underwent surgical correction utilizing the CBNS (O-arm™, Medtronic®). Post-operative Cobb angle (L3-5) was restored to 8°. Following four different pediatric patient’s radiation exposures (two receiving correction via the O-arm platform and two via the traditional method employing fluoroscopy), we show a reduction in radiation exposure using the CBNS system. Conclusion We present the first known pediatric case of the utilization of the CBNS system for hemivertebra correction. We demonstrate that utilizing the CBNS platform can not only increase surgical accuracy but also decrease pediatric patient’s radiation exposure as a preoperative CT scan is not needed. Future studies should continue to explore additional benefits of implementing the system into surgical practice.