23-year-old man escapes complex scoliosis

Patient NVT (23 years old, Yen Thanh district - Nghe An) has a large angle scoliosis, the entire upper body is deviated to the right 4-5 cm, causing back pain, difficulty in strenuous movement. The rib hump (the protruding part on the back of the rib) is large, affecting aesthetics.

He was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis with complex fusion of vertebrae from T5 to T9, T11-T12, L1-L2 and fusion of ribs 6, 7, 8, 9. Although Mr. T discovered the disease when he was young and used orthopedic braces for many years, his condition did not improve. The patient had researched surgery in many places but due to concerns about complications, he did not perform it.

Congenital scoliosis is not a rare disease and has many forms, but the condition of multiple fusion of vertebrae, ribs and late intervention like Mr. T's case is very rare. Cases of severe scoliosis, difficult to assess surgical techniques, most have to be transferred to a higher level.

At Vinh City General Hospital, after examination and consultation with departments, a team of highly qualified doctors and surgeons from the Department of Trauma & Orthopedics and the Department of Anesthesia and Surgery coordinated with the support of a modern surgical equipment system to successfully perform scoliosis surgery for the patient.

The surgery lasted nearly 8 hours, with the method of screwing the thoracic vertebrae T3 to the lumbar vertebrae L2 (12 vertebrae); chiseling, cutting the vertebrae and ribs to release and correct the scoliosis.

However, the surgery encountered many challenges because the arch on the concave side was atrophied, very small, making it difficult to screw; hemivertebral body deformities and multiple fusions of vertebrae and ribs required multiple bone resections. Furthermore, the patient underwent surgery late, after the age of bone growth, causing the spine to become stiff and more difficult to correct. If surgery had been performed earlier, the treatment process would have been much smoother.

During the surgery, the patient was transfused with approximately 1200ml of blood to ensure safety. Post-operative recovery also requires highly specialized experience to manage potential complications due to prolonged anesthesia and blood transfusion.

After surgery, the patient's scoliosis angle, torso deviation and rib hump were corrected; the upper body almost returned to normal; helping the patient become more confident. 10 days after surgery, the patient was able to walk normally, body height increased by 5cm; no neurological sequelae.

BSCKI Tran The Linh - Department of Trauma and Neurosurgery, who directly participated in the surgeryshared: “Scoliosis surgery is often indicated when the curvature is large and causes an imbalance in the body. Depending on the age and severity of the disease, there will be an appropriate treatment method. This is a complex technique, requiring high skills and the support of modern medical equipment. Therefore, patients need to choose reputable medical facilities to ensure safety and avoid dangerous complications after surgery”./.