New pediatric spine findings shared at the ICEOS Conference
In early November, Matthew Oetgen, MD, MBA, chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Children’s National Hospital, attended the 19th Annual International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis (ICEOS) in Cannes, France. The ICEOS is the world’s leading conference addressing complex scoliosis in the growing child.
Dr. Oetgen took part in two breakout sessions:
- Sagittal Plane in Early Onset Scoliosis (EOS) – looking at and understanding the side-view shape of the spine in young children with scoliosis
- Management of Spine Trauma in Children
He also led a poster presentation entitled: “Does tether failure lead to a lower LIV at posterior spinal fusion.” He answered a few questions about the poster and study:
Q: What was the purpose of the poster presentation?
A: To determine if surgeons end up fusing more of the spine than they originally planned when the tether breaks. In spine surgery, especially scoliosis correction, “tethering” refers to vertebral body tethering (VBT), where a flexible cord (tether) is attached to the spine to guide growth and correct curvature.
Q: What did you determine?
A: Before the tether surgery, doctors planned to stop the fusion around L1-L2 (upper low-back area). After the tether failed and they planned a fusion, they usually planned to stop at L2 (a little lower). On average, fusion plans went about half a level lower.
Different surgeons also reacted differently. Two surgeons fused lower after tether failure, one didn’t change and one changed a tiny bit but stayed at the same level.
Most patients (18 out of 30) ended up with the fusion going lower than originally planned.
Q: Why does this matter?
A: This information can help doctors explain to families the risks and benefits of VBT (tethering). We still need more research to know how to choose the best levels for surgery and how different tether designs affect failure and fusion levels.
To learn more about the ICEOS 2025 Conference, visit the Pediatric Spring Foundation’s website.
