Abstract
The results of previous clinical and experimental studies have provided accumulated evidence for the role of rib asymmetry in the pathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis (IS). Moreover, it has been shown that scoliosis induced in rabbits can be corrected by elongation or growth stimulation of ribs on the side of the convexity. Taking these observations into consideration, a 7-year-old girl with right convex thoracolumbar IS was operated upon by 2-cm shortening of three concave ribs. The preoperative coronal Cobb angle was 46° and the sagittal angle was 55°. Twenty-seven months after the operation the curves were reduced to 21° and 35°, or by 54 and 36%, respectively. It is concluded that new, easy to perform and harmless interventions on the ribs may have vast implications for the overall treatment of young patients with early progressive, thoracic, IS.
Keywords: Key words Early thoracic, scoliosis, Treatment, Rib shortening
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Footnotes
Received: 31 May 1997 Revised: 20 March 1998 Accepted: 8 April 1998