Negative pressure wound therapy in paediatric scoliosis surgery: a pilot study

To evaluate the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in healing closed spinal incisions following scoliosis deformity surgery in a paediatric cohort.

A retrospective review of patients <21 years of age who underwent posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion for severe scoliosis between 2019-2022. Patients were divided into two groups. The first comprised patients with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) treated with 3M Prevena (SolventumUS) application (Group P-IS). They were compared against a matched group who received standard dressings (Group S-IS). The second group comprised patients with non-idiopathic scoliosis (NIS) treated with 3M Prevena application (Group P-NIS), and who were compared against a matched group who received standard dressings (Group S-NIS).

The first group had a total of 31 patients (Group P-IS) who were compared to 35 patients (Group S-IS). Seroma formation, wound dehiscence, surgical site infections (SSIs), duration of hospitalisation and the number of visits until complete wound healing was higher in Group S-IS, although statistical significance (p<0.05) was not reached. In the second group, a total of 17 patients (Group P-NIS) were compared against 13 patients (Group S-NIS). Seroma formation, duration of hospitalisation and number of visits until complete wound healing was higher in Group S-NIS.

In this study, NPWT following primary closure in scoliosis surgery resulted in reduced seroma formation, wound dehiscence and SSIs in patients with IS, and reduced seroma formation in NIS patients. NPWT was beneficial in augmenting wound healing following paediatric spinal surgery and should be further examined in larger-scale prospective studies.