Preoperative Halo Traction for Severe Scoliosis

Study Design. Retrospective case control study. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze the appropriate traction period and preoperative halo traction (HT)-related factors in severe scoliosis Summary of Background Data. HT can reduce risks involved in severe scoliosis treatment, and its safety and efficacy are well known. However, a lack of evidence exists in guiding the appropriate traction period and other factors involved in HT. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 59 patients who underwent preoperative HT, analyzed correction rate changes over time using HT, and assessed other factors by dividing the patients into two groups according to differences between the post-bending correction angle (PBC) and post-halo traction correction angle (PTC): group A (PBC ≒ PTC) and group B (PBC 8°, the maximum measurement error when measuring the Cobb angle. Results. The mean Cobb angle improved from 96.9° preoperatively to 72.9° post-bending to 63.3° post-traction and 32.5° postoperatively. The coronal correction of the major curve (change in curve from the start to each week/total change in curve after traction) was 28.2% at 1 week (n = 59), 34.0% at 2 weeks (n = 58), 33.8% at 3 weeks (n = 41), and 32.2% at 4 weeks (n = 13); a difference was noted between the first and second weeks (P 
Source: Spine - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: DEFORMITY Source Type: research