Treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis with posterior spinal fusion using the Galveston procedure: retrospective of eight years of experience with unit rod instrumentation.

Posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation to the pelvis (the Galveston Procedure) is widely accepted as an effective treatment for neuromuscular scoliosis. Unit rod instrumentation is commonly used in these cases, but it is not universally accepted as superior to separate Luque rods. This study is a retrospective review of 115 consecutive cases in which the unit rod was used. The following statistics were collected from the records of these patients: operative time, estimated blood loss, PICU stay, hospital stay, transfusion rate, complication rate, scoliosis correction, and correction of pelvic obliquity . Results at 2-year follow-up were compared to those reported in the literature and to results previously reported from the same facility in which separate Luque rods were used. The unit rod provides excellent control of pelvic obliquity and superior scoliosis correction compared with separate Luque rods. Improvements were also found in reduced operative times, lower blood loss, a lower complication rate, and shorter hospital stay.