Selective hemivertebrae resection in congenital scoliosis with multiple hemivertebrae

Abstract

There are no established guidelines regarding the surgical strategy to be adopted in congenital scoliosis with multiple hemivertebrae—decision has to be guided taking into account the contribution of each hemivertebra to the deformity and its growth potential. We describe a case of a 12-year-old woman with congenital scoliosis due to unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae. Preoperative imaging revealed the presence of three hemivertebrae—at D7, D10 and L5. Our surgical strategy was guided by various factors—the morphology of the hemivertebrae, the location, the contribution of each hemivertebra to the deformity and their relationship to each other. Based on this, we performed a selective hemivertebrae resection—completely resecting L5 hemivertebra and performing ‘egg-shell’ decancellation of D7 hemivertebra and in situ fusion of D10 hemivertebra, yielding satisfactory results. This case report illustrates a rational thought process that can guide a paediatric spinal deformity surgeon in treating scoliosis with multiple hemivertebrae.