Abstract
esults Thirty-four patients had rib-anchored growing rods and 142 had spine-anchored growing rods. This analysis found that proximal rib-anchored growing rods have a 23% risk of lifetime rod breakage compared with spine-anchored growing rods (6% vs. 29%) (p =.041) without a significant increase in risk of anchor complications (38% vs. 33%) (p =.117). The number of implanted rods (p =.839), age (p =.649), and number of instrumented levels (p =.447) were not statistically significant regarding rod breakage risk, although higher preoperative Cobb angles were significant (p =.014).
Conclusions Preoperative Cobb angle appears to be the most influential factor in determining whether growing rods break (p =.014). Univariate analysis found that rib anchors were associated with less than one-fourth the risk of rod breakage than spine anchors (p =.04) but multivariate analysis found no significant association between anchors and rod breakage (p =.07). This trend suggests that rib-anchored growing rod systems may be associated with less rod breakage because the system is less rigid as a result of some "slop" at the hook-rib interface, as well as the normal motion of the costovertebral joint.
Study Design Retrospective multicenter, case-control study.
Objective To compare the risks of rod breakage and anchor complications between distraction-based growing rods with proximal spine versus rib anchors.
Summary of Background Data Rod breakage is a known complication of distraction-based growing rod instrumentation.
Methods A total of 176 patients met inclusion criteria: minimum 2-year follow-up, younger than age 9 years at index surgery, non-Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib distraction-based growing rods, and known anchor locations. Mean follow-up was 56 months (range, 24-152 months). Survival analyses using Cox proportional hazards model (accounting for varying lengths of follow-up) of rod breakage, anchor complications, preoperative Cobb angle, number of growing rods, age, and number of levels instrumented were performed using a significance level of p <.05.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 489-492 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Spine deformity |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Anchors
- Complications
- Distraction-based growing rods
- Rod breakage
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine