Aims

There is inconsistent evidence on whether prior spinal fusion surgery adversely impacts outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between pre-existing spinal fusion surgery and the rate of complications following primary THA.

"Wedge excision" of the apex of the curve is the rational way of correcting a scoliosis. It is a straightforward procedure which is successful in practice

Four cases are presented of a syndrome of progressive external ophthalmoplegia and scoliosis occurring within one family. These patients were extensively investigated but no biochemical abnormality was detected

A woman with neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease) presented with a giant plexiform neuroma of the arm and chest wall, with dysplastic scoliosis and a pseudarthrosis of the humerus. Her arm resembled that of the "Elephant Man" described by Sir Frederick Treves

Structural scoliosis occurs more commonly in patients with juvenile chronic arthritis than in the normal population. We have reviewed 32 patients with both juvenile arthritis and a scoliosis and suggest that structural curves may arise from postural curves associated with asymmetrical involvement of lower limb joints

1. The equipment used in the correction of scoliosis by the anterior route is described. 2. The important points in surgical technique are emphasised. 3. The results of operation on fifty-one patients are analysed. 4. Attention is drawn to the high rate of fusion, the stability of correction, and the brevity of the period of convalescence

The moulded baby syndrome comprises: head moulding (plagiocephaly); pelvic obliquity with unilateral loss of hip abduction in flexion; and occasionally scoliosis, torticollis and bat ears. The hips, however, are radiologically normal and do not require the treatment used in the management of congenital dislocation or dysplasia. A review of 67 hips confirms this finding

1. One hundred babies under the age of one year with untreated structural idiopathic scoliosis have been studied and the outcome assessed. 2. Ninety-two recovered spontaneously. Five developed progressive curves of bad prognosis and three developed secondary structural (double primary) scoliosis. 3. It is suggested that intrauterine moulding may cause the deformity

A chart is presented to assist with the assessment and treatment of patients with growth-related deformities. It is based on anthropometric values from five published sources and relates sitting height to stature, limb length, the radiographic lengths of the leg bones and the lengths of the feet and hands. It has proved useful in the prediction of leg-length discrepancies, in the diagnosis of cases of short stature, and in the assessment of spinal shortening from scoliosis

1. The natural history and prognosis of progressive infantile idiopathic scoliosis are reviewed and twenty-eight cases are reported. 2. Resolving infantile idiopathic scoliosis is described and seven cases are reported. 3. The length of the curve, the degree of rotation, the age of onset of deterioration, and the rate of progression are the important factors in determining the type and severity of the deformity. 4. Infantile idiopathic scoliosis is briefly compared with congenital scoliosis

The incidence of congenital dislocation of the hip in 156 children with infantile idiopathic scoliosis was 6.4 per cent, approximately 10 times its frequency in the general population. In both of these deformities there was a predominance of girls (eight girls: two boys). In unilateral dislocation of the hip the convexity of the thoracic scoliosis was on the same side as the dislocation. Eight out of the 10 children with both deformities also had plagiocephaly

1 . The theoretical requirements for optimal correction of thoracic scoliosis and kyphosis are discussed, and observations are made on the limitations of methods in current use for their ambulant correction. 2. The experimental use of hydrostatic pressure in an endeavour to satisfy these clinical requirements is described. 3. It is suggested that the use of hydrostatic pressure as the source of corrective force has considerable advantages, and that, with refinements, the techniques described may prove a useful addition to rigid mechanical methods of correction

Aims

To monitor the performance of services for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in Northern Ireland and identify potential improvements to enhance quality of service and plan for the future.

1. Eleven patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, most of them young adults at a terminal stage, were found to have structural scoliosis with curves measuring between 20 and 80 degrees. 2. The common feature was severe and protracted rheumatoid disease. 3. The characteristics of the spinal curves are analysed; the longer curves may have been caused by muscle imbalance and the shorter curves possibly by asymmetrical involvement of the inter-apophyseal joints. 4. It is suggested that juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is an unusual etiological factor of scoliosis