Health-related quality of life and clinical outcomes for magnetically controlled growing rod patients after treatment termination

Purpose: To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and clinical outcomes of children with early onset scoliosis (EOS) treated with magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGR) followed to definitive fusion (DF). Methods: A retrospective review of EOS patients treated with MCGR and followed to DF was performed. Outcomes included HRQoL scores, radiographic, clinical, and unplanned returns to the operating room (UPROR) data collected at pre-MCGR implantation, immediately post-MCGR implantation, pre-DF, and post-DF. HRQoL scores were collected at least 6 months post-DF. Results: Twenty-eight patients (57.1% females, mean age at MCGR insertion 7.19 ± 1.5 years, mean pre-MCGR Cobb 64.7° ± 17.6) met inclusion criteria. MCGR treatment resulted in an overall 30.2% improvement in coronal plane deformity following DF. The mean growth rates between MCGR implantation and pre-DF for T1–T12 height and T1–S1 length were 0.33 ± 0.23 mm/month and 0.49 ± 0.28 mm/month, respectively. Of the 28 included patients, 26 (92.9%) experienced at least one UPROR, with a total of 52 surgical complications occurring in the total cohort, representing 1.9 UPROR/patient. Interestingly, there was a decline in scores reported between post-MCGR implantation and the pre-DF time-point (N = 16, 78.2 ± 14.9 vs 69.7 ± 17.8, p = 0.02). These scores recovered post-DF, resulting in an overall unchanged HRQoL when comparing pre-MCGR to post-DF (N = 11, 79.9 ± 15.1 vs 76.7 ± 17.9, p = 0.44). Conclusion: While MCGR treatment achieves coronal plane deformity control and facilitates spinal growth, only 7.1% of children experienced a complication-free treatment course when followed to definitive fusion. Patients achieved modest curve correction and spinal growth, while maintaining stable HRQoL outcomes between pre-MCGR and post-DF.