title: Adolescent idiopathic thoracic scoliosis. A prospective trial with and without bracing during postoperative care.
abstract: Fifty patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treated by posterior fusion and Harrington instrumentation augmented by a Cotrel bar or by sublaminal Luque wires were studied in a prospective trial to ascertain the need for postoperative bracing. Twenty-five patients wore a plaster brace postoperatively for six months, while 25 were managed without a brace. The mean loss of correction from the first standing postoperative radiograph to one obtained two years later was 7 degrees in the braced group, and 6.3 degrees in the unbraced group, the difference not being statistically significant. We conclude that postoperative bracing is unnecessary after augmented Harrington instrumentation.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001915:Braces; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion