NIH Sponsors Major Clinical Study of Adult Scoliosis

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I found this while browsing at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago) website. I haven't yet found out which other centers are involved across the US. It's interesting that the study focuses on scoliosis per se. I would think it might be a challenge to find lots of adults with medically significant but previously untreated scoliosis. If treated patients are included, that has to mean thousands of us with scoliosis and iatrogenic flatback syndrome. Flatback is, in fact, a major interest of Northwestern's neurological surgeons, and they have done untold numbers of revision surgeries over the years (including operations performed on -- in chronological order -- longtime Feisty members Donna Durgin, (that's me), and Maas). I guess what surprised me most about this write-up was the mention of comparing surgery with other treatments. We've heard so often that surgery is the only acceptable treatment for patients with scoliosis of 40-50 degrees or more -- the patients who would presumably be recruited for a study like this.

Clinical Trial Hopes to Redefine Standard of Care for Scoliosis PatientsNorthwestern Memorial only site in Illinois for the NIH-sponsored trial

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May 6, 2010

Chicago -

Researchers at Northwestern Memorial have launched

the first-ever National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial for spinal deformity. The trial will evaluate the effectiveness of surgical and non-surgical treatments in people with adult scoliosis or curvature of the spine. Researchers also hope to identify important factors related to patient reported outcomes such as pain, activity and appearance.

"Because of the trial's intensive focus on outcomes, our hope is that

the results will help drive decision-making for physicians and surgeons

that work with scoliosis patients," said Tyler Koski, MD,

principal investigator of the trial, neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

No studies currently exist for this group of patients. "There is a significant unmet need in determining an evidence-based course of treatment for adults with scoliosis," said Koski.

Northwestern Memorial is the only hospital in Illinois and one of five sites nationwide participating in the study. The trial will enroll hundreds of patients over a five-year period and will follow the subjects through their course of treatment, which may include surgery, or non-surgical treatment options such as injections, medication, physical therapy and exercise. Study participants will also be asked to fill out periodic health questionnaires and will have routine X-rays as part of their participation