Method of Selecting Surgical Treatment for Children with Congenital Deformity of the Spine and Thorax

Introduction. Spinal anomalies are considered to be the most severe pathology of the axial skeleton. Intrauterine formation of deformity with its subsequent progression during growth is the reason for the need for surgical intervention. The prevalence of patients with congenital scoliosis in the total structure of spinal deformities is up to 2%. In terms of the malignancy of the course of the disease, children with unsegmented rod and rib synostosis represent one of the most unfavorable groups of patients. Aim. To perform a comparative analysis of the results of surgical treatment of children with congenital scoliosis with unilateral lateral vertebral segmentation disorder and rib synostosis using different techniques. Methods. The work is a monocenter cohort study of “case-control” type (III level of evidence). The design of the work is a monocenter cohort retro and prospective study. The results of surgical treatment of patients between 2010 and 2020 were analyzed. The study included 45 patients aged 3 to 7 years with the diagnosis of congenital scoliosis with unilateral lateral segmentation disorder of vertebral bodies and rib synostosis. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the surgical treatment method applied. In the first group (n = 24), patients underwent thoracoplasty with implantation of an individual rib/rib/vertebral distractor; in the second group (n = 21), patients underwent spinal surgery in the scope of vertebrotomy at the apex of the curvature and correction of the deformity with a multifocal spinal system. The data of medical records, as well as MSCT, radiographs, and pulse oscillometry were included in the analysis of the results. Results. Me (median) of scoliosis before treatment in group 1 patients 58.5, IQR = 19.75; after treatment — Me = 40.0, IQR = 20.0. Me of kyphosis before surgery 22, IQR = 4.5; after surgery Me = 26.0, IQR = 4.0. In the second group, Me of scoliosis before treatment 58.0, IQR = 3.0; after treatment, Me = 20.0, IQR = 6.0. Me of kyphosis before surgery 22, IQR = 2.0; after surgery Me 28.0, IQR = 4.0. When comparing MSCT data, group 1 patients showed an increase in lung tissue volume by 21% of the initial lung volume, in group 2 the increase amounted to 27%. The analysis of external respiratory function indices demonstrates improvement of reactive component indices by 21.1%, frequency dependence of resistive component by 46.4%, resistive component by 50% in group 1 patients, in group 2 there is an improvement of reactive component indices by 21.1%, resistive component by 50.9% and frequency dependence of reactive component by 46.7%. Conclusion. Corrective intervention on the spine at an early age makes it possible to achieve effective correction of the deformity; similar changes are observed both in lung volume and functional state of the respiratory system due to the mediated correction of the thorax shape.