title: Growing rod concepts: state of the art.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early-onset spinal deformities present multiple challenges to the surgeon. They may be rapidly progressive and unresponsive to conservative treatment, necessitating surgical intervention at an early age.
  
  
  METHODS
  This text attempts to provide a review of current literature and to summarize the authors' opinions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This paper attempts to concisely review available literature regarding the growing rod's inception, evolution, technique, results, and complications and answers some of the controversy still surrounding it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The growing rod is one of the first, most evolved, most popular and one of the most heatedly discussed technique of fusionless spinal instrumentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara 60100, Turkey. yazioglu@hacettepe.edu.tr
authors.forename: Muharrem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: Z Deniz
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Olgun
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013131:Spine / Q000254:growth & development / Q000601:surgery*