Idiopathic Scoliosis-Teen Female

Case Information

This 19 year old female patient was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 13, but decided to defer surgery so she could play soccer and is now has worsening back pain with standing or activity.
A two stage procedure was performed on one day to correct her spinal deformity.
First, through an incision on the side of the chest, the soft tissue in the anterior thoracic spine, including discs and ligaments, were removed to loosen up this stiff curve, and bone graft was placed into the disc spaces for fusion.
Subsequently, the patient had a posterior spinal fusion with screws and rods to further straighten the spine and fuse it in the correct alignment.
Pictures from before and after surgery show elimination of creases on her back from the spinal curvature and improved alignment of her spine and torso. Decreased prominence of her right thoracic ribs on forward bending is seen.