Stepwise Management of Severe Thoracogenic Scoliosis in Burned Child

Skin and soft tissue retraction secondary to burns of the trunk may induce severe and progressive thoracogenic spinal deformities in children. Its management is rarely described.

Our study reports a case of severe thoracic scoliosis in a 13-year-old adolescent, secondary to soft tissue retraction due to trunk burn in early childhood. The Cobb angle of the scoliosis was 100 degrees. The 3-stage surgical strategy consisted of scar excision and skin graft in the first stage, halo gravity traction in the second stage, and posterior correction and fusion of the spine in the third and final stage. The postoperative course was satisfactory, and late follow-up at 1 year showed stable correction of the spine, with satisfactory coronal and sagittal balance and good healing of skin and soft tissues.

While spinal deformities secondary to burns are rare, they require specific, sequential, and multidisciplinary medical and surgical management. Our surgical strategy was to treat skin and soft tissues retractions first and then address spinal deformity. We used halo-gravity traction between the 2 surgical stages to help improve the spine deformity correction while reducing the risk of neurologic complications.