Growing rods in early-onset scoliosis

Abstract

We present a case of a currently 11-year-old patient with early-onset scoliosis. (Fig. 1) At the age of 6 years, the diagnosis neurofibromatosis was confirmed via skin biopsy. Because of progressive deformity at the age of 8, the patient underwent surgery in 2012 with implantation of two magnetically controlled growing rods (MAGEC, Magnetic Expansion Control, Ellipse, Ellipse Technologies Inc, Aliso Viejo, CA, USA), a spinal bracing and distraction system. This system was first published in 2012 [1]. In the past 3 years, the patient returned nine times to our outpatient clinic for distraction of the implant (2.0 cm on the left side and 2.2 cm on the right side) (Fig. 2). Following the Classification of Early-Onset Scoliosis [2], he was 8M3N on his first visit and 11M2NP on his last visit. His thoracic height (T1–T12) increased from 21.15 cm to 24.30 cm, the Cobb