Treatment of Patients with Scoliosis Using a Unique Anterior Scoliosis Correction Technique

Abstract

Treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is dependent upon multiple factors, including curve type and magnitude, curve progression, skeletal maturity, and clinical trunk deformity. While fusion is effective at achieving curve correction, it is associated with disadvantages including prominent implants beneath the skin, back muscle scarring and atrophy, decreased spine range of motion, and decreased functional spinal mobility. Additional concerns include the potential for longer term development of premature adjacent level disc and facet joint degeneration above and below the fusion. Due to these issues with spinal fusion, surgeons have explored alternative surgical approaches to correct spinal deformity and halt curve progression using either growth modulation or remodeling of the spine while preserving motion. This paper provides an overview of a non-fusion scoliosis correction technique called Anterior Scoliosis Correction (ASC).