Mangaluru: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is present in 2 to 4% of children between 10 to 16 years of age. It is thought to be a multigene dominant condition with variable phenotype expression. It is defined as a lateral curvature of the spine greater than 10 degree accompanied by vertebral rotation. Severe back or leg pain, a left thoracic curve or an abnormal neurologic abnormalities are red flags. The main risk factors for curve progression are a large curve magnitude, skeletal immaturity & female gender. Scoliosis in girls tends to progress more often & therefore girls more commonly need treatment than boys.
It was a normal life for 13-year-old Gangamma who hailed from North Karnataka. It was then that her mother noticed a slight bend on her back which progressed over the next 9 months to an obvious unacceptable deformity. Her deformity made her one shoulder higher than the other and also involved her chest making it disproportionate.
She was finally referred to Dr. Dheeraj Kumar, Orthopaedic Surgeon of A.J. Hospital & Research Centre, Mangalore, who diagnosed Gangamma to have adolescent idiopathic scoliosis which required surgery to correct the deformity as it was rapidly progressing. The team of doctors at A. J. Hospital headed by Dr. Dheeraj with Dr. Sudarshan Bhandary Dr. Bhaskar Bhandary and Dr. Mithun Shetty operated on her with such clinical finesse that she could get back to her routine within 5 days post surgery.
She was discharged after 10 days following surgery. She is currently on routine follow ups and is doing well at school and at play. Also, the economic burden on the family was much reduced due to low hospitalization cost.
Scoliosis is a treatable condition and the treatment may be much simpler if it is detected early. Scoliosis interrupts the social activities of the child, thus affecting the activities of daily living. Hence, it is always prudent to define and treat any deformities of the spine at an early date, reducing the risk and cost.
