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. 2022 Feb;18(1):171-174.
doi: 10.1177/15563316211008866. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

The Role of Vertebral Body Tethering in Treating Skeletally Immature Scoliosis

Blake C Meza  1 , Andre M Samuel  1 , Todd J Albert  1
Affiliations

The Role of Vertebral Body Tethering in Treating Skeletally Immature Scoliosis

Blake C Meza et al. HSS J. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

This is a critical analysis of a study by Hoernschemeyer et al, "Anterior Vertebral Body Tethering for Adolescent Scoliosis with Growth Remaining: A Retrospective Review of 2 to 5-Year Postoperative Results" (J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2020;102[13]:1169-1176), that assessed the clinical and radiographic outcomes of vertebral body tethering (VBT) in the treatment of adolescent scoliosis. The authors demonstrated successful treatment in 74% of patients, based on radiographic outcomes and avoidance of subsequent posterior spinal fusion. Nearly a quarter of patients required revision surgery. Almost half suffered a broken tether, although the effects of such complications are not fully understood. The study provided valuable information for determining which patients are reasonable candidates for VBT and emphasizes several questions surrounding this novel technology that remain unanswered. This analysis discusses the study's strengths and weaknesses, suggests potential directions of future research, and examines the potential indications for VBT.

Keywords: adolescent scoliosis; growth modulation; novel technology; outcomes; vertebral body tethering.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Todd J. Albert, MD, reports relationships with JP Medical Publishers, Thieme Medical Publishers, Springer, Elsevier, Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes Spine, Innovative Surgical Designs, Bonovo Orthopedics, Inc, InVivo Therapeutics, Spinicity, CytoDyn Inc, Paradigm Spine LLC, HS2 LLC, Strathspey Crown, Surg.IO LLC, Augmedics, Morphogenesis, Precision Orthopedics, Pulse Equity, Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals, DePuy Synthes, NuVasive, Back Story LLC, Scoliosis Research Society, Spine Universe, American Orthopaedic Association (past relationship), and Parvizi Surgical Innovations, all outside the submitted work. The other authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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