ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2022
Longitudinal comparison of direct medical cost, radiological and health-related quality of life treatment outcomes between traditional growing rods and magnetically controlled growing rods from preoperative to maturity.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Methodology of economic evaluations in spine surgery: a systematic review and qualitative assessment.BMJ open · 2023Pooled it
- Global research trends in early onset scoliosis (2000-2025): a Scopus-based bibliometric analysis.Spine deformity · 2026Article
- All-pedicle screw posterior spinal fusion after magnetically controlled growing rods in walking early-onset scoliosis patients: radiographic and surgical outcomes.Spine deformity · 2025Article
- Increased lengthening frequency does not adversely affect the EOSQ scores in magnetically controlled growing rod surgeries in 133 subjects followed to final fusion.Spine deformity · 2024Article
- Patient-perceived factors on treatment satisfaction in early onset scoliosis treated surgically with a minimum of ten years.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Article
- Complications and Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Various Etiologies of Early-Onset Scoliosis Treated with Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods-A Multicenter Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Minimally Invasive Controlled Growing Rods for the Surgical Treatment of Early-Onset Scoliosis-A Surgical Technique Video.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- Less-Invasive Approach to Early-Onset Scoliosis-Surgical Technique for Magnetically Controlled Growing Rod (MCGR) Based on Treatment of 2-Year-Old Child with Severe Scoliosis.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMagnetically controlled growing rods (MCGR) have replaced traditional growing rods (TGR) in the past decade, however, a comparison of their direct costs and treatment outcomes based on real longitudinal data is lacking. This study aims to compare the direct cost and treatment outcomes between TGR and MCGR, whilst incorporating complications, reoperations and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) throughout the entire treatment course.
methodsPatients with early onset scoliosis (EOS) who underwent initial growing rod surgery between 2003 and 2016 at a tertiary scoliosis clinic were studied with longitudinal data. Accumulated direct medical costs were calculated based on the unit cost of surgeries of each TGR and MCGR, costs incurred for any rod exchange or remedial surgery for post-operative complication. Treatment outcomes were evaluated via: Patient's HRQoL using SRS-22r questionnaire, and radiological parameters (including major curve correction, spine length gains, spinal balance) throughout the treatment until maturity.
resultsA total of 27 EOS patients (16 MCGR, 11 TGR) were studied. Total direct cost of index surgery for MCGR was HKD$223,108 versus lower cost of HKD$135,184 for TGR (p < 0.001). At 2-3 years post-index surgery, accumulative total direct medical cost of MCGR and TGR became most comparable (TGR:MCGR ratio = 1.010) and had reached neutrality between the two groups since. Radiological parameters had no intergroup differences at maturity. For HRQoL, TGR group had shown the trend of less pain (domain score mean difference: 0.53, p = 0.024) post-index surgery and better self-appearance (domain score mean difference: 1.08, p = 0.017) before fusion. Higher satisfaction with treatment (domain score mean difference: 0.76, p = 0.029) was demonstrated by TGR patients at fusion/maturity. MCGR had negative (r
conclusionsFrom index surgery to maturity, TGR demonstrated better satisfaction with treatment by patients and comparable overall HRQoL with MCGR during the treatment course, as MCGR did not show apparent benefit despite less surgeries and cost neutrality between the two groups at 2-3 years post-index surgery.
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