SpineCor--a non-rigid brace for the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis: post-treatment results.

The objective of this study was to assess the success of treatment during the follow-up of a group of 195 idiopathic scoliosis (IS) patients consecutively treated with the SpineCor system. A survival analysis was performed to estimate the cumulative probability of success during treatment, at follow-up and for the combined treatment and follow-up period. Success was defined as either a correction or stabilization of +/-5 degrees or more, and failure as a worsening of more than 5 degrees. The patient cohort was categorized before treatment into curves less than 30 degrees (group 1), and curves greater than 30 degrees (group 2). The survival analysis indicated a cumulative probability of success that increased during treatment with the patient wearing the brace (Year 1: 0.30, 0.39; Year 2: 0.62, 0.79; Year 3: 0.92, 0.89, for groups 1 and 2 respectively). During the post-treatment follow-up period, there was a stabilization (Year 1 post-treatment: 0.94, 0.89; Year 2 post-treatment: 0.85, 0.81), with an overall probability of success of 0.92 and 0.88 after 4 years of combined treatment and post-treatment follow-up. For the 29 patients who had a minimum follow-up of 2 years (initial Cobb angle: 30 degrees +/-9 degrees ), the trend during treatment was a decrease in spinal curvature at 3 months, with a mean difference of 10 degrees (SD 5 degrees ); at termination of treatment a mean difference of 7 degrees (SD 7 degrees ); and at the time of the 1- and 2-year follow-ups there was a difference of 4 degrees (SD 7 degrees ) and 5 degrees (SD 7 degrees ) respectively, with reference to the initial out of brace condition. At 2 years follow-up there was an overall correction of greater than 5 degrees for 55% of the patients, 38% had a stabilisation and 7% had worsened by more than 5 degrees. This initial cohort of patients demonstrated a general trend of initial decrease in spinal curvature in brace, followed by a correction and/or stabilisation at the end of treatment, which was maintained through 1, and 2 years' follow-up.