Scoliosis News and Research

Latest Scoliosis News and Research

Correcting birth defects

Traditionally when a baby was born with a malformation of the lung or esophagus, they had to undergo open surgery involving a large chest incision with risk for serious complications.

18 Jul 2007

Physicians have recognized scoliosis, the abnormal curvature of the spine, since the time of Hippocrates, but its causes have remained a mystery -- until now. For the first time, researchers have discovered a gene that underlies the condition, which affects about 3 percent of all children.

26 Jun 2007

FDA approves Norditropin for short stature in children with Noonan syndrome

Novo Nordisk has announced that Norditropin (somatropin[rDNA origin] injection) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of short stature in children with Noonan syndrome.

3 Jun 2007

Daily steroid treatments help boys with muscular dystrophy walk longer

Boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were able to walk on their own for a longer period of time and reduce their risk of scoliosis as a result of receiving daily steroid treatments for several years, according to a study published in the May 8, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 May 2007

Gene CHD7 linked to idiopathic scoliosis

Researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC), one of the nation's leading pediatric centers for research and the treatment of orthopaedic conditions, have identified the first gene - CHD7 - associated with idiopathic scoliosis (I.S.), the most common spinal deformity in children.

27 Apr 2007

Growing number of young people have fatty liver disease

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are taking a closer look at a disease whose incidence is rising as obesity in children increases.

15 Mar 2007

Researchers discover how genes and diet interact to cause birth defects

Expectant mothers may someday get a personalized menu of foods to eat during pregnancy to complement their genetic makeup as a result of new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

8 Aug 2006

Atp7a determines a hierarchy of copper metabolism essential for notochord development

A new study reveals the timing of developmental events that critically depend on copper. While copper deficiency is rare in humans, the findings suggest that suboptimal copper metabolism might contribute to birth defects, according to the researchers.

8 Aug 2006

Yeast discovery provides new insights into familial dysautonomia

A discovery in yeast that has important implications for finding a cure for a devastating disease of nerve cell failures -- called familial dysautonomia (FD) -- has been made by Cornell University researchers.

6 Apr 2005

Exercise-induced shortness of breath not always caused by asthma

Asthma is the most common cause of exercise-induced shortness of breath in children and adolescents. While a diagnosis of asthma is often correct, University of Iowa pediatric pulmonary physicians caution that other unrelated conditions also can cause shortness of breath during exercise.

3 Apr 2005

New technologies may offer new treatment options for some patients with degenerative back problems

New technologies may offer new treatment options for some patients with degenerative back problems, according to research presented at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. These latest innovations in spinal surgery could provide promise for hundreds of thousands of U.S. patients who undergo spinal surgery each year.

27 Feb 2005

Potential treatments for neurofibromatosis

Scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine are closing in on potential treatments for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease that afflicts 100,000 Americans with nerve tissue tumors, some of which become cancerous.

3 Feb 2005

Groundbreaking surveying technology to assist in the accurate identification and monitoring of scoliosis

A University of Newcastle (Australia) engineering researcher has been awarded for developing groundbreaking surveying technology, based on techniques used to measure and map land, to assist in the accurate identification and monitoring of scoliosis.

21 Dec 2004

Study reveals that spinal lesions are associated with a variety of children’s health complaints

A study of 650 children, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), revealed that spinal lesions called vertebral subluxations are associated with a variety of children’s health complaints.

21 Oct 2004

Titanium rib becomes 1st new FDA-approved spine deformity treatment in 40 years

The Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib (VEPTR), a device that has saved the lives of 300 infants and young children who otherwise would have died from lack of breath, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

16 Sep 2004

A more direct lateral approach to minimally invasive procedures

Surgeons at the Cedars-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders describe in the August 1 issue of the journal Spine a minimally invasive approach that enables them to perform fusion surgery on the difficult-to-access upper lumbar region of the spine with a reduced risk of serious complications.

2 Aug 2004

Safer and improved technologies for detecting and treating scoliosis

Calgary researchers, healthcare providers and local patients are working together to develop a high-tech imaging system for detecting and treating of scoliosis – a mysterious spinal condition that affects about one out of every 200 people, especially children.

17 Jul 2004

Technique using ordinary light detects scoliosis in children

Lateral curvature of the spine can now be detected without the use of X-rays. Tom Huysmans of K.U.Leuven’s Department of Biomechanics and Graphic Design has developed a technique using ordinary light which approaches the precision of radiology.

15 Jun 2004