Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37629394›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2023

No Benefits in Using Magnetically Controlled Growing Rod as Temporary Internal Distraction Device in Staged Surgical Procedure for Management of Severe and Neglected Scoliosis in Adolescents.

Pawel Grabala, Kelly Chamberlin, Michal Grabala, Michael A Galgano, Ilkka J Helenius

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Role of temporary internal distraction in correcting severe and rigid spinal deformities: a systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital scoliosis.European journal of medical research · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Pawel GrabalaDepartment of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, University Children's Hospital, Waszyngtona 17, 15-274 Bialystok, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-7059-2935
Kelly ChamberlinDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3596-4825
Michal Grabala2nd Clinical Department of General and Gastroenterogical Surgery, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 24a, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
Michael A GalganoDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
Ilkka J HeleniusDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Hospital, 00260 Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0001-5200-3279
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · USHelsinki University Hospital · FIMedical University of Białystok · PLUniwersytecki Szpital Dziecięcy · PL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSevere spinal curvatures (SSCs) in children and adolescents have long been treated with preoperative Halo traction, in its various variations. There are also several radical techniques available for the management of neglected SSCs, such as osteotomies; however, these can be risky. Comparing the treatment outcomes when using preoperative Halo Gravity Traction (HGT) against the use of a Magnetically Controlled Growing Rod (MCGR) as a temporary internal distraction (TID) device, we evaluated the differences in surgical and radiological outcomes.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 30 patients with SSCs, treated with HGT followed by posterior spinal fusion (PSF; Group 1,

resultsIn Group 1, we evaluated 18 patients with a mean age of 15.5 years; in Group 2, we evaluated 12 patients with a mean age of 14.2 years. The interval between the staged procedures averaged 32.7 days. The mean preoperative main curves (MC) were 118° and 112° in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. After definitive surgery, the MC was corrected to 42° and 44° in G1 and G2, respectively. The mean percentage correction of the MC was similar in both groups (65% vs. 61% in G1 and G2, respectively). The mean preoperative thoracic kyphosis was 92.5° in G1 and 98° in G2, corrected to 43.8° in G1 and 38.8° in G2. Trunk height increased by 9 cm on average.

conclusionsThere are no benefits in using a MCGR as a temporary internal distraction device in the management of neglected scoliosis in adolescents. Surgical treatment of severe scoliosis may be safe, with a reduced risk of potential complications, when using preoperative HGT. A specific intraoperative complication when using a MCGR as a temporary internal distraction device was a 50% risk of transient neuromonitoring changes, due to significant force applied to the spine and radical distraction of the spine. We achieved similar clinical, radiographic, and pulmonary function outcomes for both techniques. The use of HGT causes less blood loss with a shorter overall time under anesthesia. Partial correction significantly aids the subsequent operation by facilitating a gradual reduction in the curvature, thereby reducing the difficulty of surgical treatment and the risk of neurological deficits.

Indexed as

HaloHGTMCGRneglected scoliosisscoliosissevere scoliosisspinal deformitytemporary internal distraction

Identifiers

PMID37629394
PMCPMC10455145
OpenAlexW4385994182

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.