Shriners Hospitals help children achieve dreams

Seventeen-year-old Nayeli V. had one dream: to have surgery for scoliosis. She had been receiving treatment for the condition since she was 8 years old in her hometown in Manta, Ecuador.

In 2018, after being told that her condition was too severe for surgery consideration, she was referred to Shriners Hospitals for Children — Houston. Scoliosis and other spine conditions are some of the specialties that sets Shriner Hospitals for Children apart, hospital officials say.

Located in the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, Shriners Hospitals for Children — Houston specializes in delivering the highest-quality care to children like Nayeli. The hospital specialties in a variety of orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal disorders and diseases, cleft lip and palate abnormalities, as well as sub-acute care and inpatient rehabilitation.

Children up to the age of 18 receive all treatments and services regardless of their families’ ability to pay.

Shriners Hospitals for Children — Houston provides a multidisciplinary approach to ensure patients receive the best comprehensive care for their conditions, officials say. The family-centered care fosters partnerships among staff, patients and their families.

This approach supports children during treatment and empowers them to reach their maximum potential to achieve their dreams, officials say.

“Everyone comes here looking for a dream, and I can say that Shriners Hospitals has granted me mine,” Naveli said.

hriners Hospitals for Children — Houston opens its doors to children from all over the world, with the sole purpose of giving children and their families hope and specialized medical care, officials said.

For more information, call 713-793-3765 or visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/Houston.

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Shriners Hospitals for Children — Houston provides specialized medical care to children across the world. 

Source : WACO TODAY , 27th Sep 2018 

Princess Eugenie's tough start: How Sarah Ferguson's daughter battled SEVERE back problem

PRINCESS Eugenie is busy preparing for her upcoming royal wedding to fiancé Jack Brooksbank - and now Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's dau

Eugenie, 28, has told how she battled crippling scoliosis as a child.She also told of her fear of having corrective surgery on her spine at the age of 12.Eugenie said: “In 2002, when I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with scoliosis and told that I would need corrective surgery.

She credits the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) for helping her though the eight hour operation that involved having eight-inch titanium rods into each side of her spine.

Eugenie said: “After three days in intensive care, I spent a week on a ward and six days in a wheelchair, but I was walking again after that.”

After speaking of how grateful she was for the support she was offered, Princess Eugenie appealed for donations for the hospital, particularly the Stanmore site, where she was treated, and talks about the people she met during her stay there.

She said: “I met a young cancer patient who had had a bone removed from his leg and replaced with a ‘bionic’ prosthesis which grows at the same rate as his leg.

“This amazing technology was invented by specialists at the RNOH in 2003 and is now used all over the world.

“But I was also reminded of the rather run-down condition of the hospital. There is a very striking disparity between the quality of the RNOH’s service and the quality of the buildings from which its staff operate. Anyone who visits the Stanmore site can see immediately why a new hospital is needed so urgently.”

She added: “Without the care I received at the RNOH I wouldn't look the way I do now; my back would be hunched over. And I wouldn't be able to talk about scoliosis the way I now do, and help other children who come to me with the same problem.”

Eugenie has rarely spoken about her fight with the condition, but did post a picture of her spinal X-ray onto Instagram in May.

She credits the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) for helping her 

It was during that month that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, the exact location that Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank, 32, will marry on October 12.

Recent reports have claimed Eugenie and Jack had planned their wedding for a long time, but delayed it because of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Despite both being grandchildren of the Queen, as the son of the eldest son of Her Majesty, Prince Harry has a higher rank than his first cousin.

Harry is sixth in the line of succession, while Princess Eugenie of York is ninth.

Source : Sunday Express , 26th Sep 2018 

Magic magnets help lengthen spine for scoliosis patients

One in 1,000 children under the age of 10 has early onset scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine that can be so severe that patients have a hard time breathing.  

Until now, repeated surgeries were necessary until a child is fully grown.

But there's a new treatment that cuts the time in hospitals and the number of surgeries, thanks to magnets. 
 
Kora Olivo, 8, is a miracle to her parents. When she was born, doctors weren't sure Kora would ever leave the hospital.   

"She wasn't quite breathing right, and so they took her to the NICU. And that's when they discovered her back the way it was. She has a partially-formed vertebrae," said Ali Olivo, Kora's mother.

Kora's onset scoliosis was so bad that her orthopedist ordered surgery when she was almost 5 years old.

"The standard operation was an operation where you put rods in and then hook them to the spine. Then you would go in every six months, repeat an operation, and lengthen the rods," said Dr. Lawrence Rinsky, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.

Until now, that meant a childhood spent in hospitals and healing from as many as 12 surgeries.  

But Kora's fate improved dramatically with a new treatment.

"The newer technology is to put a rod in that just grows with an external magnet. Every two to three months, you can lengthen them," Rinsky said.

A visit to the operating room is no longer needed with the new technology.

The push of a remote control button lengthens the magnetic rods along her growing spine. It's over in a few minutes with almost no recovery time.   
      
"I'm taller and more straight," Kora said. "It's basically magic." 

"It really has made it so that she can have such a traditional life," Ali Olivo said.

Magnetic rods won't completely eliminate surgery for Kora and other early onset scoliosis patients. 

As young patients continue to grow, the rods will eventually expand as far as possible, requiring them to be replaced. 

Those operations, however, are typically limited to around three versus 12 or more with the traditional procedure.

Source : KSAT,24th Sep 2018 

Medtronic Launches the Infinity(TM) OCT Spinal System

Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) today announced the U.S. launch of the Infinity(TM) Occipitocervical-Upper Thoracic (OCT) System designed to simplify posterior cervical spine surgery. The Infinity OCT System is a complete procedural solution that integrates navigation and biologics with Medtronic's comprehensive devices and instrumentation to create efficiency in fusion procedure workflows for the upper back and neck. The announcement was made during the North American Spine Society meeting taking place from September 26th - 29th in Los Angeles where Medtronic is exhibiting at Booth #1201.

"For more than 35 years, Medtronic has partnered with leading spine surgeons to advance new technologies with the goal of improving patient outcomes," said Doug King, senior vice president and president of the Medtronic's Spine division, which is part of the Restorative Therapies Group. "We engineered every component of the Infinity OCT System to perform efficiently during the most complex spine procedures, as well as to integrate seamlessly with our market-leading imaging and navigation technologies."

The Infinity OCT System is used to immobilize and stabilize the spine while it fuses. The system features several innovative components - including a multi-axial screw with 60 degrees of angulation in any direction, a set screw (locking cap) with a quick-start thread to minimize cross threading, and 3.0mm and 5.5mm diameter screws for expanded patient demographics and clinical applications. The system has a full spectrum of implant materials and sizes - and when paired with the O-arm(TM) Imaging System and StealthStation(TM) Navigation System - provides a fully-enabled procedural solution designed to bring efficiency and simplicity to even the most complex posterior cervical procedures.

The Infinity OCT System is indicated for certain conditions including degenerative disc disease, instability or deformity, tumors, and traumatic spinal fractures or traumatic dislocations. Spine trauma can sometimes result in a spinal cord injury. September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month and according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the 2016 annual incidence of spinal cord injuries in the U.S. was approximately 54 cases per million people, or about 17,000 cases per year.1

"Some of our posterior cervical patients arrive in critical condition and their lives depend on our surgical skills and the performance of the tools we use to treat them," said Dr. Greg Trost, neurosurgeon at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin. "With Infinity, I can focus on delivering the best patient care during complex procedures knowing that every component was precisely-designed with modularity and versatility in mind. And an integrated procedural solution with Stealth navigation and Infinity was game-changing as a 3D-view of the anatomy allows me the precision to place pedicle screws with confidence and accuracy."

The Infinity OCT System is now available in the U.S. The system will be released in geographies around the world in 2018 and 2019.

About MedtronicMedtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 86,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

 

1 Grand View Research. Spinal Implants & Devices Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Fusion Devices, Spinal Biologics), By Technology, By Surgery Type, By Procedure Type, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2024. April 2018.

Available at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/spinal-implants-spinal-devices-market

Contacts: Sara Thatcher Public Relations +1-901-399-2098 Ryan Weispfenning Investor Relations +1-763-505-4626

This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Medtronic plc via Globenewswire

Source : The Virgininian Pilot , Pilot Online - 25th Sep 2018 

Kerri needs your help to battle scoliosis

A fundraising campaign has been launched to help a Newtownstewart teenager access critical physiotherapy for “devastating” scoliosis. Kerri McCunnie, (13), lives with idiopathic scoliosis, an ‘S’ shape curve in her spine which has already progressed to 40 degrees. Doctors recently told her the scoliosis will progress to an extent where she will need to use a wheelchair and the curvature in her spine will also restrict her lungs and heart.

While wearing a brace can be a method of treatment for idiopathic scoliosis, it is too late for Kerri to avail of it.

Her mother, Janet, told how her daughter’s only option is spinal fusion surgery, but there is a long waiting list for the treatment on the NHS. Kerri receives physiotherapy in Enniskillen once a week, but has identified a clinic in London, called the SOS scoliosis clinic, which undertakes intensive physiotherapy for six hours a day, five days a week for four weeks. It is hoped this would reduce the curvature in her spine and lessen the need for surgery. Janet said the exercises would be tailored to Kerri’s curve and many people who have completed it have seen a big improvement. 

Kerri is booked to attend the clinic in November, but the treatment will cost in the region of £6,000. One thousand pounds has already been fundraised, but the clock is now ticking to raise the remaining money. Janet explained how, as Kerri gets older and grows, the scoliosis will get worse, over a faster time period. She told how Kerri’s breathing is beginning to be more affected and her pain is increasing. Janet described Kerri’s prognosis as “devastating” and is hoping her daughter can access the treatment while it can still be beneficial. 

A Just Giving page has been set up online, where people can donate to help fund Kerri’s physiotherapy. 

You can donate by logging on to: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/janet-mccunnie

Source : News Letter UK , 29th Sep 2018 

14-yr-old’s spine deformity corrected by city doctors

City doctors gave a new lease of life to 14-year-old Shreya Desai (name changed), a Mumbai resident, who was born with a spine deformity. She was born with an abnormal gait that was tiled on one side. Her parents noticed the condition when it became prominent, resulting in a constant source of worry for the family.

An eight-hourlong surgery was performed and the hemivertebra excision was done

She often had to tilt her head in order to converse with people. She was suffering from a birth defect known as congenital scoliosis — sideways curvature of the spine that is caused by a defect that was present at birth caused by vertebrae that are not properly formed. Such a patient has no other option but to correct the defect through a surgery. Shreya’s case was extreme as the curve was already 75 degrees, and her short torso made it exceedingly uncomfortable for her. She was operated on September 10 at Ruby Hall Clinic in Wanowrie and was able to walk just three days later.

Dr Bhushan Khedkar, consultant spine surgeon, Ruby Hall Clinic, said, “The backbone helps hold the body upright. Without the spine’s gentle curve down the back, a person cannot balance, walk or move properly. With scoliosis, children whose curve is around 45 or 50 degrees are usually surgical candidates. Shreya’s curve was already 75 degrees. Therefore, surgical correction was the only option.”

An eight-hour-long surgery was performed and the hemivertebra excision was done for correcting the deformity. The spine was straightened and secured in place with rods and screws to stop the curve progression. “There is always a risk of impending spinal cord injury with such surgeries along with the possibility of loss of power in lower limbs and loss of bladder and bowel control. For this purpose, neuromonitoring was used throughout the procedure thereby reducing the occurrence of spinal cord injury,” added Khedkar.

Shreya’s father Niranjan Desai, shared, “We are so glad the surgery was completed without any complications. I am happy to see my daughter walking perfectly just a couple of days after the surgery. The team at the hospital has been supportive and we could see our daughter happier and confident after the treatment.”

Dr Shailesh Hadgaonkar, director of spine services at Sancheti Clinic, Pune, said, “Children at a young age with a suspicion of deformity need to be screened immediately. If they are provided timely customised bracing and exercises, we can avoid progression of such kind of a deformity. Congenital deformities are a challenge.

When there is a cosmetic deformity, this curve needs correction. Neuro-monitoring is mandatory nowadays for such surgeries that improve safety during spine correction procedures.”



Source : Pune Mirror , 23 Sep 2018 

Doctors at Apollo Hospitals correct abnormal spine

According to a press release from the hospital, Shreya started showing signs of deformity at the age of 12. She experienced pain and was unable to carry on her day-to-day activities.

Doctors at Apollo Hospitals successfully performed a fusionless scoliosis surgery on a 14-year-old girl who was affected by scoliosis, an abnormal sideward curvature of the spine.

According to a press release from the hospital, Shreya started showing signs of deformity at the age of 12. She experienced pain and was unable to carry on her day-to-day activities. The girl was diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) at Apollo Hospitals.

This abnormal sideward curvature of the spine is usually seen in young girls aged 8 years to 12 years. It affects two to three per cent of children between the ages of 10 and 18.

Traditionally, fusion surgical treatment is performed to address AIS, where metal implants are attached to the spine and then connected to two rods. These implants hold the spine in a corrected position until the instrumented segments fuse as a single bone.

Compared to the fusion surgery, fusionless scoliosis surgery aims to support spine growth and movement. In fusion-less scoliosis surgery, the deformity is corrected using a flexible cable. Fusionless scoliosis surgery is a shorter, less invasive, and less expensive surgery that preserves motion and function in patients while lessening the chance of back pain later in life.

In fusionless scoliosis surgery, the patients can return to normal activities faster. Shreya is on physiotherapy, her posture has improved. Her ribcage, trunk and shoulders are aligned, and getting better. She is back to her daily activities.

Source : The New Indian Express , 5 Sep 2018 

Minimal invasive surgery for patients with degenerative vertebral deformity

The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital has proved that minimally invasive surgery is effective in patients with spinal deformity, the hospital said Tuesday.

Professors Kim Young-hoon (left) and Park Hyung-yul

An adult vertebral deformity occurs when a person’s vertebrae are unusually bent or twisted, making daily life difficult as it causes chronic back pain.

Most of the elderly patients suffer from degenerative changes of the muscles around the vertebrae, which is difficult to restore with conservative treatment such as exercise therapy.

Surgical treatment is also valid, but there are risks of postoperative complications due to age, underlying disease, and osteoporosis.

To confirm that minimally invasive surgery is effective, the research team, led by Professors Kim Young-hoon and Park Hyung-yul at the hospital, analyzed 91 patients who received surgeries to treat their spinal deformities at St. Mary’s Hospital from 2012 to 2015.

Of the 91 patients, 48 underwent minimally invasive lateral interbody fusion operation, and the other 43 underwent conventional spinal surgery. The mean age of the patients was 70 years, and the team evaluated postoperative clinical and radiological results in both groups.

As a result, the patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery had no clinical differences such as back pain and less intraoperative bleeding when compared with conventional spine surgery. Also, the minimally invasive surgery caused less damage to the spinal structures and showed a faster recovery process and fewer complications.

Regarding radiological results, X-ray examination confirmed that the minimally invasive surgery corrected the vertebral deformity more effectively.

“Although it may be scary to receive spine surgery if there is no response to the symptom relief treatment such as medication and treatment, surgical treatment is required to eliminate the cause after accurate diagnosis,” Professor Kim said. “Minimally invasive spinal surgery is effective for elderly patients as it injures fewer surrounding tissue and has a shorter operation time than conventional surgery."

However, a skilled surgeon should perform the surgery as the surgical incision is small and the view is limited, which increases the risk of adjacent organs and nerve damage, Kim added.

According to the hospital, the study was selected as a nominee for Hibbs Award by the Scoliosis Research Society, an international association of spinal deformities, during its conference held in Philadelphia in September 2017.

The journal Spine published the result of the research in its July issue.

Email : corea022@docdocdoc.co.kr

SOURCE : Korea Biomedical Review , 6 Sep 2018 

3D Modeling Improves Scoliosis Surgery

Dr. Joseph DeWitt holds a model of patient Jacie Rish's spine in front of X-rays taken before and after her surgery.



Sparrow Hospital in Lansing is employing new technology aimed at improving the outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis. 3D modeling might lead to better results.

VIDEO LINK : https://youtu.be/60LTnPw07IA

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that usually occurs before puberty. Most cases are mild, but some children develop deformities that get worse as they grow.

Sparrow Hospital recently invited reporters into a surgical suite to learn more about scoliosis from pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph DeWitt. He says the causes are largely unknown. “When kids are getting towards puberty and growing really fast, that’s when they’re at the greatest risk for scoliosis, and for scoliosis to progress and get worse," he explains. "That’s when we like to intervene and take care of them.”

Dr. DeWitt says that while many patients are helped by bracing the spine, bracing alone isn’t enough in more severe cases. “Sometimes you get in situations where the curve’s gotten big, up over 45 to 50 degrees," continues Dr. DeWitt. "Those curves, even when you’re done growing, those are going to continue to get worse later in life, and that can become deforming and that can start to interfere with the way you want to live your life. Those are the kids that we think are candidates for surgery.”

One such patient was Jacie Rish of Portland. Last year, when she was 14, her spine was curved by more than 65 degrees. “My mom noticed that my back looked a little funny," Jacie states. "It didn’t look right. It was like my body, my hips were crooked. You could really see it.”

With a decision made to perform surgery on Jacie, Dr. DeWitt turned to new 3D technology to make a model of her spine. “We take a CT scan, we’re able to load that CT scan into the computer, 3D model it, and then at every level that we determine that we need to fuse, we’re able to create a patient-specific guide for that level," he continues. "This allows us to very, very accurately and safely place our hardware, which consists primarily of screws, a couple of hooks, and then rods.”

With that model, guides are created to help the surgeon precisely insert the hardware that will address the curvature.

Jacie’s surgery took about eight hours, involving 18 screws, two hooks and two rods from neck to hip level. That hardware will remain attached to her spine for life.

Jacie’s mom, Lisa, says her daughter spent four days in the hospital after the operation. “She was off school for probably another three, almost four weeks," Lisa says. "She couldn’t carry anything over five to ten pounds. It was just a lot of modifications into how she had to bend down to pick stuff up, she couldn’t move side to side, so we had some help at school with schoolbooks and backpacks. It was a long recovery time, but we’re about a year out.”

Jacie adds that she doesn’t even notice it anymore.

With her curvature down from 65 degrees to 19 now, there are no restrictions on Jacie’s future activity, and Dr. DeWitt is optimistic about her future. He's done about 20 surgeries using this 3D modeling technology, and he isn’t looking back.


Source : WKAR , 20 AUG 2018 

No Link Seen Between Scoliosis in PWS and GHR Gene Variation, Study Reports

A variation in the growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene, specifically the lack of a coding sequence called exon 3, does not seem to increase the risk for scoliosis in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) patients, a small study reports.

Exon 3 in the GHR gene was previously shown to be associated with increased growth in Prader-Willi children receiving growth hormone therapy.

The study reporting the findings, “Growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene polymorphism and scoliosis in Prader-Willi syndrome,” and was published in the journal Growth Hormone & IGF Research.

Treatment with growth hormone became a standard practice for Prader-Willi kids after the treatment was approved in 2000 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Growth hormone therapy leads to sustained benefits in body composition, physical strength and agility, and growth in Prader-Willi children.

However, the therapy’s effects in promoting a growth increase in PWS children with severe lower muscle mass and tone, a condition called hypotonia (common in Prader-Willi kids), may increase their risk for scoliosis, a condition in which the spine twists and curves to the side.

It is known that results from growth hormone therapy are influenced by genetic factors, including a variation in the GHR gene. The growth hormone is the natural ligand of the growth hormone receptor that, upon binding, triggers the activation of the pathway that eases the therapy’s effects.

In the study, researchers investigated the link between the GHR gene variation with scoliosis in a group of Prader-Willi patients.

In total, they analyzed 73 patients (34 males and 39 females) with a confirmed genetic diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome. Of these, 32 (mean age of 16.9) had been previously diagnosed with moderate to severe scoliosis, while the remaining 41 adults (mean age of 30.8) had no evidence of scoliosis.

In total, 23 (72%) of the patients diagnosed with severe scoliosis required surgical correction to fix the spine curvature.

Researchers analyzed the participants’ GHR gene sequence for variations, focusing specifically on a deletion of a coding sequence in the gene called exon 3, previously associated with a 1.7 to two times higher growth acceleration caused by growth hormone therapy compared to the normal gene.

Results showed no evidence of a high prevalence of exon 3 deletion in the GHR gene in Prader-Willi patients with and without scoliosis — 41% of scoliosis patients and 49% of those without scoliosis had at least one deletion of the exon 3.

Interestingly, Prader-Willi patients with scoliosis and a normal  GHR gene (no deletions) had a significantly faster and heavier weight gain.

Overall, the results failed to find a link between an exon 3 deletion in the GHR gene and scoliosis in a small cohort of PWS patients.

Still, according to the team, the deletion of exon 3 in the GHR gene may “serve as a protective genetic status against the development of scoliosis particularly in combination with early GH [growth hormone] therapy and surveillance.”

“These relationships did not achieve statistical significance but the data trends and potential clinical implications of the association do warrant further study,” researchers wrote.

Source : Pradewillinews , 6 Sep 2018

Arizona high school swimmer overcomes severe scoliosis to win again

Lindsey Sohoel-Smith fell off the blocks and into the water as she leaned in for her first race back from back surgery.

She got back up and, after a restart, she plunged in and finished somewhere in the middle of the pack.

But it was her first victory in what was a long, painful journey back to the pool.

Now the Tucson Tanque Verde High School senior swimmer hopes her story can help others who walk around with poor self-esteem, who feel they have nobody to talk to, who live in pain with scoliosis.

Sohoel-Smith missed her junior year after undergoing a four-hour surgery in Phoenix for severe scoliosis that was causing pain in her intestinal area and making it hard to breathe.

Her comeback was painful, lonely, agonizing. Muscles were ripped. Nerves were cut. Two metal rods were inserted. A scar, which she refers to as her “warrior wound,” runs straight down her back from the top of her spine to the bottom.

“It’s like those four hours change your life,” Sohoel-Smith said. “I think it’s more like at meets, people will come up to me, or parents, and talk to me about it. I love that.

“I know what I was going through. It was heart-breaking. I feel like I had no one to talk to. I don’t want anyone to feel that way. Everyone is so different. I tell them that they’ll be OK. You just have to be mentally encouraging. I know some of my teammates were like, ‘I know this girl got it done and it took a year.’ That’s kind of discouraging, but at the same time it is encouraging. The discouraging part took a year. You don’t want it to take that long.”

Source : USA Today , High School Sports 

New option for children born with scoliosis

Instead of years of pain and surgeries, young scoliosis patients literally may be able to straighten out their lives with magnets.

Meet eight-year-old, Kora Olivo. Typical for other eight-year-olds, but she's a miracle to her parents. When she was born, doctors weren't sure Kora would ever leave the hospital.   

Ali Olivo, Kora's mom, explains, "She wasn't quite breathing right and so they took her to the NICU. And that's when they discovered her back the way it was. She has partially formed vertebrae." 

Kora Olivo continues,  "…and missing one part of my lung and i'm missing some of my ribs."

Kora had early onset scoliosis so badly, her orthopedist ordered surgery when she was barely five. 

Ali Olivo adds, "As the curve continued, it would constrict even more of her lung function." 

Dr. Lawrence Rinsky, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, says, "The standard operation was an operation where you put rods in and then hook them to the spine. Then you would go in every six months, repeat an operation, and lengthen the rods."

Until now, that meant a childhood filled with hospitals and healing from as many as 12 surgeries.  But Kora's fate improved dramatically with a new treatment. 

Dr. Rinsky says, "The newer technology is to put a rod in that just grows with an external magnet. Every two to three months, you can lengthen them." 

And forget about operating rooms. The push of a remote control button lengthens the magnetic rods along her growing spine.  It's over in a few minutes with almost no recovery time.        

Kora Olivo adds, "…and I'm taller and more straight." 

Ali Olivo says, "It really has made it so that she can have such a traditional life." 

As patients continue to grow, the rods will eventually expand as far as possible, requiring them to be replaced. But those operations typically are limited to around three versus 12 or more with the traditional procedure.   


For Video Link : https://www.upmatters.com/news/healthwatch/new-option-for-children-born-with-scoliosis/1445671439

Source : upmatters.com , 14 Sep 2018