Spine staple could correct scoliosis

Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have developed a spine staple that could correct scoliosis — spine curvature — without major surgery.

Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have developed a spine staple that could correct scoliosis — spine curvature — without major surgery.The spine staple would be implanted during minimally invasive surgery in children at high risk of needing surgery for progressed scoliosis in adolescence, researchers said.The staple re-directs growth of the spine, slowing growth on the outside of the curve so the inside can catch up, co-inventor Eric Wall said in a statement.About 20,000 children undergo scoliosis surgery each year. It involves extensive spine exposure, frequent blood transfusions, pain and lengthy hospital stays, researchers said.For the staple surgery, surgeons make three or four 1-inch incisions on the sides of the body under the arm and insert about six staples into the spine with minimal blood loss, risk and cost, researchers said.Testing to determine the staples’ safety and effectiveness in children could begin in the next year, researchers said. (Source: United Press International, August 2004)