title: Fusionless surgery for scoliosis: 2-17 year radiographic and clinical follow-up.
abstract: METHODS
  Descriptive case series.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether fusionless, multiple vertebral wedge osteotomy can safely obtain correction of the deformity with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  To our knowledge, no such attempts to manage the AIS with fusionless, vertebral osteotomies have been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 20 consecutive patients were treated since 1987. Deformity correction, complications, respiratory function, and patient-oriented outcome were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 20 patients (17 females and 3 males), including 19 with idiopathic and 1 with syringomyelia scoliosis, who underwent surgery at an average age of 16.4 years and were followed for 8.9 years (range 2-17) on average. There were no neurologic complications. One superficial wound infection necessitated debridement. There were 2 patients converted to posterior instrumentation surgery because of deterioration of the deformity. The average Cobb angle of 64.0 degrees before surgery was corrected to 48.2 degrees at 8.9 years after surgery. Decline of the pulmonary function test after surgery was not statistically significant. The patients' responses to questions about function and pain were favorable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deformity with AIS was safely corrected with fusionless, multiple vertebral wedge osteotomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. tmaruyama17@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Katsushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seichi
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Takahide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011859:Radiography; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome