Complications after posterior spinal fusion in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy

Norman Ramirez, B. Stephens Richards, Paul D. Warren, George R. Williams

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy often develop progressive scoliosis. Should spinal stabilization be necessary, these patients are considered at high risk for surgically related complications. This retrospective study of 30 patients with Duchenne's examined the prevalence and types of complications associated with posterior spinal fusion and determined the percentage of patients who lived ≤2 years beyond surgery. Major complications related to cardiopulmonary compromise, infection, or hardware complications occurred in 27%, and minor complications occurred in another 16%. Seventy-seven percent of the patients lived ≤2 years beyond their surgery. The majority of patients and their families, including hall of those who had major complications, reported that surgery resulted in an improvement in their quality of life. Although complications are common, the benefits realized by the patient with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy with scoliosis reinforce the importance of surgical stabilization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)109-114
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Volume17
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 21 1997

Keywords

  • Duchenne's muscular dystrophy
  • Scoliosis
  • Surgical complications

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Complications after posterior spinal fusion in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this