[Surgical treatment of back problems of a growing child]

During the years when a child is developing, the most common problems requiring surgical treatment of the back are scoliosis and spondylolisthesis of various causes. Spinal tumors and bacterial inflammations of the vertebrae or intervertebral disks occur rarely in children. Due to spinal injury, approximately 20 children require surgical treatment annually. The possibility of instability of the cervical spine should be taken into account especially in connection with anesthesia procedures in children with Down's syndrome and those suffering from disturbances of skeletal development.