[Early-onset scoliosis: pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment]

Early-onset scoliosis corresponds to a group of heterogeneous spinal conditions that present before 10 years of age with a curvature in the coronal plane of 10° or more. Regardless of the etiology, adequate control of the deformity is required to avoid cardiopulmonary deterioration and preserve quality and life expectancy. Diagnosis can be difficult and is usually incidental at a young age. To choose the best treatment, it is important to consider the patient's age, etiology, and rate of progression. Among the non-operative treatments, the most effective are the use of serial casts or brace, whose main objective is to stop the progression of the deformity and thus delay surgical treatment. Among the surgical treatments the distraction based systems and definitive arthrodesis have proven to be most effective. Early surgery leads to multiple complications, which is why, if feasible, non surgical management should be sought and fusion postponed till skeletal maturity. Due to the life-threatening risks associated with the deformity and treatment, it is important to educate the patient and family members about the importance of treatment adherence and follow-up.