Surgical Correction

If surgery is necessary, our orthopedic surgeons will perform a procedure that corrects the spinal deformity and prevents recurrence of the issue in adulthood.

Akron Children’s offers both vertebral body tethering and spinal fusion surgery, depending on the age of the patient and the curvature of the spine.

Akron Children’s has a dedicated operating room for spine surgeries, with the nView s1 navigation system. Akron Children’s is the second children’s hospital in the country and the first in the Midwest to install the nView s1 system which provides our pediatric orthopedic surgeons with three-dimensional images of the spine while performing spinal surgeries.

Vertebral body tethering is usually performed on younger patients that are still growing. The surgery uses a tether or cord, attached to the spine to gradually bring the spine into alignment as the child grows. The cord is flexible, allowing more range of motion of the spine. Vertebral body tethering is minimally invasive and uses just a few small incisions, which allows for a short hospital stay and a quick return to activities in 3 to 6 weeks.

Spinal fusion is often used in older children and teens that have stopped growing. Spinal fusion surgery permanently corrects the curvature, stabilizes the spine, and prevents further curvature. Prior to the surgery, specialized computer technology uses the patient’s x-rays for predictive modeling and surgical planning. The patient’s spine is digitally reconstructed into an ideal alignment, and then a custom rod is created. The rod is then used in the spinal fusion, with the purpose of improving long-term results.

Both spinal fusion surgery and vertebral body tethering stabilize the spine, which can also restore lung function, improve mobility, and reduce pain.