Photo file of simulated human spine samples for spinal cord treatment
impairment . “ Some patients believe that after a spinal fusion they will never be able to bend over , touch their toes , or even walk in adult life ,” but nothing could be further from the truth , he said .
What ’ s next for VBT ? The hope is that better tools to predict the period of growth remaining in children with scoliosis will improve VBT outcomes .
Currently , standard methods to quantify how much kids will grow look at both the pelvic and hand bones , but they ’ re rudimentary and sometimes contradictory . However , researchers are working towards improving predictions .
“ We really need to be able to transfer duration of growth into prediction of final height based on parents and other variables , and we don ’ t have precision in this right now ,” explained Dr Newton , noting that better predictors of growth based on hand bones analysis are being developed and look promising .
Researchers at Montréal University have already managed to predict the final scoliosis curvature in half of the patients enrolled in a trial based on parameters including curve size , age , menstruation status , and a combination of information from the standard methods called Sanders and Risser scores , said Dr Stefan Parent , the lead researcher , to STAT .
Others are looking into both blood and genetic tests to gather more clues into growth and curve progression over time . For instance , the levels of the protein collagen X , which is involved in bone formation , could help understand how long children will keep growing .
If we are able to translate all this information into an accurate predictor of final height or length in the spine , Dr Newton said , then VBT success rates will rise significantly by improved patient selection . Though he believes the novel procedure will eventually become the gold standard in scoliosis surgery for some patients , it ’ s not going to happen any time soon .
“ We ’ ve been at it for a decade , and it will probably take another decade .” n
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com OCTOBER 2021
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