3D model of Hunter’ s spine.( actual size)
MULTIDISCIPLINARY SPECIALTIES FEATURED:
A Spine the Size of Your Hand
Orthopedics
Neurology and Neurosurgery
Anesthesiology Plastic Surgery Rehabilitation
Hunter Peters’ spine looked more like the toy model of a twisting rollercoaster track than a 3-year-old’ s backbone.
Sumeet Garg, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Children’ s Hospital Colorado, holds a 3D model of it in his palm, demonstrating the significance of the 90-degreeplus curve.
“ That’ s definitely pushing it,” Dr. Garg says, turning it in his hand, examining the complicated twists.“ That’ s as small as we could probably go.”
To imagine operating on a spine that small is daunting, and some hospitals might not have done it. Because of Hunter’ s small stature, the risks for bleeding, paralysis and infection were big, especially because the spinal cord was being compressed. A spine that small often can’ t support the screws needed to stabilize the spine for reconstruction. Surgeons prefer to let kids grow bigger before operating.
But Hunter’ s spine was compressing his spinal cord. Dr. Garg and his colleague,