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Clinical and radiographic evolution of graduate patients treated with magnetically controlled growing rods: results of a French multicentre study of 90 patients

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate patients with early-onset scoliosis (EOS) who completed their electromagnetic lengthening rod program to assess the demographics of this population and to analyze the evolution of clinical and radiological parameters and the occurrence of complications.

Methods

This was a multicenter study with 10 French centers. We collected all patients with EOS who had undergone electromagnetic lengthening between 2011 and 2022. They had to have reached the end of the procedure (graduate).

Results

A total of 90 graduate patients were included. The mean follow-up time over the entire period was 66 months (25.3–109). Of these, only 66 patients (73.3%) underwent definitive spinal arthrodesis at the end of the lengthening phase, whereas 24 patients (26.7%) kept their hardware in situ with a mean follow-up time from the last lengthening of 25 months (3–68). Patients had an average of 2.6 surgeries (1–5) over the entire follow-up. Patients had an average of 7.9 lengthenings for a mean total lengthening of 26.9 mm (4–75).

Analysis of the radiological parameters showed a percentage reduction in the main curve of 12 to 40%, depending on the etiology, with an average reduction of 73–44°, and an average thoracic height of 210 mm (171–214) for an average improvement of 31 mm (23–43). There was no significant difference in the sagittal parameters.

During the lengthening phase, there were a total of 56 complications in 43 patients (43.9%; n = 56/98), of which 39 in 28 patients (28.6%) resulted in unplanned surgery. In the graduate patients, there were a total of 26 complications in 20 patients (22.2%), all of which resulted in unscheduled surgery.

Conclusion

MCGR, allow to decrease the number of surgeries, to progressively improve the scoliotic deformity and to reach a satisfactory thoracic height at the price of an important complication rate linked in particular to the complexity of the management of patients with an EOS.

Level of Evidence II

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the surgeons who enabled us to compile this record of patients: Pr Sebastien Pesenti, Pr Thierry Haumont, Pr Franck Accabled, Dr Nectoux

Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Jeanne de Flandre Hospital, Avenue Eugène Avinée, CHU Lille, 59000, Lille Cedex, France

    Nicolas Mainard, Damien Fron & Federico Canavese

  2. Orthopaedic and Reconstructive Surgery in Children, Hôpital Armand-Trousseau - AP-HP Is, 26 Avenue du Docteur Arnold Netter, 75012, Paris, France

    Elie Saghbini & Raphael Vialle

  3. Paediatrics-Orthopaedic, Traumatological and Plastic Surgery, Children’s Hospital, 330, Avenue de Grande Bretagne-TSA, 70034-31059, Toulouse, France

    Tristan Langlais

  4. Pediatric Medical-Surgical Unit, Chu Bocage, 2 Boulevard Mal de Lattre de Tassigny, 21079, Dijon, France

    Jean-Damien Metaizeau

  5. Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, Hôpital de La Timone Enfants, 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005, Marseille, France

    Elie Choufani

  6. Department of Orthopedic, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, Hospital Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 59 Boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France

    Vincent Cunin

  7. Child Surgery, CHU Amiens-Picardie, 1 Rond-Point du Professeur Christian Cabrol, 80000, Amiens, France

    Richard Gouron

  8. Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatric Burns, CHRU Nancy, Rue du Morvan, 54511, Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France

    Pierre Journeau

  9. Department of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, Hôpital Robert-Debré. 48 Boulevard Sérurier, 75019, Paris, France

    Brice Ilharreborde

  10. Children’s Surgery – Children’s Hospital - Pellegrin Hospital Group, Place Amélie Raba-Léon, 33076, Bordeaux Cedex, France

    Yan Lefevre

  11. Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lille Henri Warembourg, 2 Av Eugène Avinée, 59120, Loos, France

    Federico Canavese

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  1. Nicolas Mainard
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Contributions

Nicolas Mainard Writing–original draft preparation, Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Elie Saghbini Writing–review and editing, statistical analysis. Tristan Langlais Writing–review and editing, Supervision, Validation. Raphael Vialle Writing–review and editing, Supervision, Validation. Yan Lefevre Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Pierre JourneauWriting–review and editing, Investigation. Jean Damien Metaizeau Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Elie Choufani Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Vincent Cunin Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Richard Gouron Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Brice Ilharreborde Writing–review and editing, Investigation. Damien Fron Writing–review and editing, Investigation, Supervision, Project administration, Validation, Conceptualization. Federico Canavese Writing–review and editing, Investigation, Supervision, Project administration, Validation

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Correspondence to Nicolas Mainard.

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Mainard, N., Saghbini, E., Langlais, T. et al. Clinical and radiographic evolution of graduate patients treated with magnetically controlled growing rods: results of a French multicentre study of 90 patients. Eur Spine J 32, 2558–2573 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-023-07762-w

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