Neuromuscular Scoliosis

Cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy and other neurological conditions and syndromes that fall into the general pathology of these conditions.

This type of scoliosis is more often aggravated than other types of scoliosis. Curve evolution in neuromuscular scoliosis is more severe in patients who can not walk and are immobilized on a wheelchair.

The first signs of scoliosis may be a change in attitude, which means that the patient leans forward or on one side while standing or when in a wheelchair. Patients in wheel chairs can not sit upright in the chair and tilted to one side. Patients who are ambulatory may have difficulty standing up and may begin to lean when walking.

Diagnosis is done through clinical examination and specific long spinal X-rays. Radiographs will typically have a scoliosis-shaped C, affecting the entire spine.

The treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis is proportional to the problem caused to the patient. Typically the brace is used for scoliosis that are less than 60 °. Treatment is to retain or partially correcting these scoliosis, usually a curve in C shape, to adulthood.

If they survive from the initial disease and they have strengths, they could be operated by posterior fusion.

As neuromuscular scoliosis aggravated, especially during rapid growth, they must be restrained when the angle is still small, by means of special braces.

11 years old patient with cerebral palsy (tetraplegia). 2008 35° Right thoracic scoliosis. After 2 years, 2010, aggravation of scoliosis 58°.