Guest guest Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Hi, since at least one child on the list has scoliosis on top of the CF, this may be interesting to a few of you. Peace Torsten, dad of Fiona 6wcf e-mail: torstenkrafft@... Subject: Help for Scoliosis Reported April 11, 2003 Help for Scoliosis NEW YORK (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Scoliosis is a condition that can leave the spine severely twisted, causing pain and in some cases difficulty breathing. For cases that require major spinal surgery, there's now a new less-invasive option.Since she was a small child, Miliana Arana has dreamt of being a dancer. But last year -- at age 14 -- her mother noticed something that nearly shattered those dreams. " I noticed her from the back, which is an angle we don't often see, and I noticed that she was leaning to one side, " Evelyn Arana, Miliana's mother, tells Ivanhoe.Miliana says, " She kept asking me why was I leaning to one side, and I told her I wasn't doing it on purpose. " X-rays of Miliana's spine showed a curve of more than 45 degrees. She had scoliosis and needed surgery.Instead of standard spinal fusion -- which requires a long incision down the back -- Baron Lonner, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, opted for a new, less-invasive technique. By going in from the side, it disrupts less muscle and leaves only these small scars. " We go between the ribs and we remove the discs, " says Dr. Lonner.Using thoracoscopic surgery, discs between the vertebrae are replaced with bone from Miliana's ribs. A titanium rod and screws are then used to squeeze the vertebrae together, straightening the spine.Dr. Lonner says, " We fuse less levels of the spine, so that long term they have better flexibility and less risk of the lower discs of the spine wearing down, and their recovery is much quicker. " Six months later, Miliana's been given the okay to start dancing again.Each year, more than 100,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with scoliosis. Of every 1,000 children, three to five of them will develop spinal curves large enough to need treatment.This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.If you would like more information, please contact: Baron Lonner, M.D. Scoliosis Associates 212 East 69th Street New York, NY 10021 http://www.scoliosisassociates.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.