Development and use of a sheep model to test a novel anti-scoliosis device

特发性脊柱侧凸是一种常见的疾病，主要影响11-14岁的年轻女孩，但也影响男孩和更年幼的儿童。20世纪50年代至60年代的治疗包括将患者置于石膏模具中数月，直到椎骨自发融合在一起。由于复杂的脊柱植入物的可用性和麻醉的改进，这种管理方法在20世纪70年代被脊柱内固定融合术所取代。后一种方法直到今天仍在使用，确实提供了一些曲线校正并限制了患者住院的时间。不幸的是，通常超过30度的显著弯曲将保留，并且儿童通常留下从上胸椎到下腰椎区域的融合。此外，许多接受脊柱融合术的患者在成人脊柱诊所出现融合术以下节段的退行性变化。这将是一个严重的痛苦在以后的生活来源。本项目旨在研究是否可以将一种新型器械植入正在发育的脊柱侧凸曲线的凸面，并通过自然生长使弯曲回摆至中性对线。它在设计上是独特的，尽管在脊柱模型中显示出工作，但在体内完全未经证实。研究人员正在寻求拨款，以证明动物模型的概念。在儿童使用该器械之前，这显然是必不可少的。

Idiopathic scoliosis is a common condition affecting primarily young girls aged 11-14 years, but also boys and younger children They develop a progressive spinal curvature that is disfiguring and in it severest form potentially fatal. Treatment in the 1950s - 1960s consisted of lying the patient in a plaster mould for many months until the vertebra spontaneously fused together. This method of management was replaced in the 1970s by instrumented fusion of the spine, due to the availability of sophisticated spinal implants and improvements in anaesthesia. This latter method, used until today, does provide some curve correction and limits the period of patient hospitalisation. Unfortunately, a significant curvature, often in excess of 30 degrees, will remain and the child is often left with a fusion extending from the upper thoracic to lower lumbar region. In addition, a number of patients who underwent spinal fusion are presenting to the adult spinal clinic with degenerate change in the segments below their fusions. This will be a source of severe pain in later life. This project aims to investigate whether a novel device may be implanted on the convexity of a developing scoliosis curve and by using natural growth cause the curvature to swing back into neutral alignment. It is unique in design and although shown to work in a spinal model completely unproven in vivo. The researchers seek grant funding for proof of the concept with an animal model. This is clearly essential before any use of the device in a child.