Pediatric iatrogenic thoracic kyphosis and tension myelopathy treated with a thoracic pedicle subtraction osteotomy: a case report and review of the literature.

PURPOSE

Pediatric kyphotic deformity is an uncommon clinical entity that can occur following posterior spinal operations and has significant complexity in its treatment. Tension myelopathy in a pediatric patient with a thoracic kyphotic deformity has not been reported in the literature.

CASE REPORT

We present a 17-year-old boy with a progressive thoracic kyphosis and tension myelopathy 4 years after he underwent a thoracic laminoplasty at an outside institution for the treatment of a dorsal spinal arachnoid cyst. At our institution, he was treated with a pedicle subtraction osteotomy as well as thoracic Ponte osteotomies for sagittal plane correction to relieve the tension myelopathy.

CONCLUSIONS

Both clinical and radiographic improvements were observed after surgery. We review the literature on pediatric thoracic kyphosis and tension myelopathy and the treatment of these pathologies.