Thoracoplasty in thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Study design. Retrospective study. Objective. To evaluate the effect and outcome of thoracoplasty in conjunction with pedicle screw instrumentation in the treatment of thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Summary of Background Data. Some spine surgeons recently think more correction of hump deformity using pedicle screws without thoracoplasty. Although thoracoplasty has been conventional treatment of rib hump, there are few papers about the results of pedicle screw instrumentation and concomitant thoracoplasty. Methods. Eighty-seven patients with thoracic AIS (mean age, 14.4 years) treated by pedicle screw instrumentation were retrospectively analyzed after a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Patients were divided into 3 groups; N-T group (no thoracoplasty with iliac bone graft, n = 37), T + N-DVR [ thoracoplasty without direct vertebral rotation (DVR), n = 20] and T + DVR group (thoracoplasty with DVR, n = 30). In the T (T + N-DVR and T + DVR) group, 4 to 8 ribs were resected and used for bone graft. Patients were evaluated for deformity correction, balance, pulmonary function, height and angle of rib hump, clinical outcomes (SRS-30), and complications. Results. In the N-T group, the thoracic curve was corrected from 53 to 16 (69% correction), in the T + N-DVR group from 55 to 18 (69%) and in the T + DVR group from 54 to 10 (81%). There was no difference in postoperative spinal balance and pulmonary function among the 3 groups. The correction rates of hump height and angle were 35% and 38% in the N-T group, respectively, 57% and 58% in the T + N-DVR, and 70% and 72% in the T + DVR. The T group showed significantly better correction of rib hump and self-image score in the SRS-30 questionnaire than the N-T group. There were 8 iliac donor site problems in the N-T group and 3 hemothorax in the T group, which had no adverse effect in the final result. Conclusion. Thoracoplasty showed significantly better rib hump correction, satisfactory clinical outcomes without pulmonary function compromise, or iliac bone graft site morbidity in the treatment of thoracic AIS with pedicle screw instrumentation.