title: Approaches for the very young child with spinal deformity: what's new and what works.
abstract: Treating very young children with spinal deformities is challenging and complex, and it entails risks. The consequences of surgical treatment can be profound, with lifelong implications. The recent focus on "fusionless" surgery and spinal column lengthening strategies, such as growing rod instrumentation and the use of a Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib, illustrate the current understanding of the importance of spinal growth and lung development in infants and young children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
authors.forename: Behrooz A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Akbarnia
authors.forename: Laurel C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Blakemore
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dormans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology; D002370:Casts, Surgical; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016268:Internal Fixators; D019857:Osteogenesis, Distraction / Q000295:instrumentation; D018579:Patient Selection; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation; D013909:Thorax / Q000254:growth & development