Vertebral Body Tethering
Vertebral Body Tethering
Scoliosis surgery without fixing the spine, the best solution for young patients
The Teknon clinic in Barcelona has taken another step in the fight against scoliosis by applying a pioneering surgical technique that allows correcting the curvature of the spine in younger patients. The neurosurgeon Roberto Lastra leads the team that has developed the procedure, consisting of the introduction of an elastic cord that tightens the vertebrae and does not limit the patient's movements, allowing them to lead a normal life. This is a hopeful medical breakthrough.
“Our new technique, called Vertebral Body Tethering (or anchoring of the spine), consists of performing surgery on the side of the body. An incision is made, not on the back, as is usually done, but on the side. Through the thorax or the back of the abdomen you reach the spine. Through this procedure, anchors are placed vertebra by vertebra, encompassing the entire curvature of the scoliosis, and then a special elastic cord is placed that passes between all the anchors and is tightened, so as to correct the curvature”, asserts Dr. Lastra. . According to dr. It is not considered a minimally invasive surgery, but it is true that when it is performed on the side of the body, the approach is done through anatomical planes and, therefore, as it is done when operating from behind. “The main advantage of scoliosis surgery without fusion compared to arthrodesis or surgery with fusion of the spine, which is the classic technique used in scoliosis, is that it does not limit the movement of the spine. By not fixing the vertebrae to each other, they do not eliminate movement between them. The conventional fusion technique fixes all the vertebrae of the curvature to correct it and, therefore, the movement between them is eliminated. In addition, fusion surgery has the problem that the intervertebral discs superior and inferior to the vertebrae that have been fixed degenerate over time and, therefore, after 10 or 20 years the pain may reappear and, on occasions, a re-intervention is required to solve this degeneration of the adjacent discs. The anchorage of the spine is a new technique, and it will not cause problems in the future since the vertebrae are not fixed”, assures the doctor.
The patient could start leading a normal life after three or four weeks
The neurosurgeon indicates that, in the postoperative period, the patient begins to walk on the second day. You will usually be admitted to the hospital for between five days and a week. "Rehabilitation can begin after two weeks and, after three or four weeks, the patient could begin to lead a normal life." “As movement is not limited in this surgery, after this postoperative period, the patient will be able to continue with his normal life and perform all kinds of movements with the spine that will not be limited, and all kinds of exercises. Therefore, they can do any type of sport and it is not necessary to wear a corset”, concludes Roberto Lastra.