Posterior vertebral instrumentation for correction of scoliosis

One hundred and five patients were treated by instrumentation for various spinal conditions by means of the posterior route. There were 90 patients with scoliosis in this series. Of these, 61 cases (67.7%) were corrected by Harrington distraction rod and segmental wire fixation. The various degrees of deformity in these patients produced the correction figures of 36.4%-42.6% of the original. The complications were eight cases of displacement of the upper hook, two cases of superficial infection, and one case of late infection. There were no cases of neurologic injury. The discussion centers on the importance of the awake test, the estimation of expected correction before surgery, the Harrington distraction rod with segmental wire fixation as an effective method, and the measures to be taken for the prevention of displaced fractures at the site of the upper hook in kyphoscoliosis correction.