Progressive Scoliosis and Syringomyelia - Questions of Surgical Approach.

BACKGROUND

The rate of scoliosis in syringomyelia patients ranges from 25 to 74.4%. In turn, syringomyelia occurs in 1.2% to 9.7% of scoliosis patients.

AIM

To evaluate outcomes of surgical correction of the scoliotic deformity in syringomyelia patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 1996 and 2015, 3120 patients with scoliosis of various etiologies were treated at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Vertebrology of the Novosibirsk Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. We conducted a retrospective analysis of syringomyelia-associated scoliosis cases that required surgical correction.

RESULTS

Syringomyelia was found in 33 patients (1.05%) out of 3120 patients with spinal deformities of various etiologies; in 21 patients (0.9%) with idiopathic scoliosis of 2334 patients. In identifying the neurological deficit, the recommended first step is to perform neurosurgery. Nineteen patients were operated using the CDI, 4 patients underwent correction VEPTR, in 1 case instrumentation could not be established, 9 patients are undergoing treatment in the department of neurosurgery at the moment. Worsening of neurological deficits was not observed in any patient.

CONCLUSION

A comparison of the results of syringomyelia-associated scoliosis correction with the data of other authors was done. The choice of surgery tactics is strictly individual and depends on the size of the cavity. The result of surgical intervention is generally positive and the loss of correction by the end of follow-up is negligible.