Progression of infantile scoliosis after thoracotomy and sternotomy for the treatment of congenital cardiac abnormalities

Purpose: To determine whether the rate of progression of scoliosis is higher following thoracotomies and sternotomies in children. Methods: We undertook a retrospective review of 1744 patients from a tertiary paediatric referral unit who had sternotomies or thoracotomies from 2005 to 2010 to identify those with scoliosis and to determine where possible, the pre- and post-operative rate of scoliosis progression. A secondary objective was to assess the risk factors for progression after surgery through Chi-square analysis. Results: 1419/1744 (81.4%) patients (55% M, 45% F) had post-op chest X-rays. 25% had a thoracotomy, and 75% had a sternotomy. 5.8% had scoliosis at their most recent chest X-ray (mean Cobb angle 20° (range 11–63°)). There was no significant difference for rates of scoliosis for those who had sternotomies vs thoracotomies (6.3% vs. 4.6% P= 0.258) but a significant difference for those who had primary vs revision sternotomies (5.1% vs. 9.9% P= 0.008). Pre- and post-op progression calculations were possible in 30 patients. The mean time from surgery to the start of the progression was 12 months (range 0–93 months). There was no significant difference between the rates of progression pre-op vs post-op: 1.0 vs. 0.5 deg/month, P= 0.228. There was no significant difference between the rates of post-op progression for those who had a sternotomy versus a thoracotomy (0.5 vs. 0.5 deg/month P= 0.503). Conclusion: Thoracotomies and sternotomies do not appear to increase the rate of progression of scoliosis in these patients. Level of evidence: III. Graphical Abstract: Radiographs illustrating scoliosis progression