Last week, doctors from our spine team attended the 56th annual Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1966, SRS is a premier international medical society that includes more than 1,000 spine surgeons, researchers and other specialists who are committed to advancing the education and research surrounding spinal deformities.  

As a leader in caring for children with scoliosis, Scottish Rite for Children makes an impact each year at this conference. Throughout the four-day meeting, our staff had the opportunity to share the institution’s latest spine research as well as sit on panels, serve as moderators, lead discussions and learn from other experts in the field. 

Below are the projects presented from Scottish Rite:

• A Randomized Control Trial of Schroth-Based Therapy Fails to Demonstrate a Positive Influence on Curve Progression in Skeletally Immature AIS
• Improved Surgical Preparedness with Preoperative Psychology Evaluation Prior to AIS Surgery
• AIS Post-Operative Rapid Recovery Program: Liposomal Bupivacaine vs. Epidural
• Spinal Fusion for Spine Deformity in Children with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita
• Loss of Lumbar Lordosis Below the LIV Occurs Due to an Increased Instrumented Lumbar Lordosis Following Posterior Fusion and Instrumentation for Double Major AIS
• National Trends in Performing Osteotomies for AIS in North America: Greater Incidence Is Associated with Significant Complications and Greater Cost

Scottish Rite for Children staff are regularly involved with multi-center projects – collaborative studies among various institutions that provide data and input on the project. This concept allows specialists to work together on a specific topic and provides a larger population to study because it includes patients from various hospitals. A few of the projects our team is involved with include:

• Complications after Major Pediatric Surgeries: Comparison with Our Peers 
• Impact of Low vs. High Implant Density on Perioperative Parameters and Estimated Surgical Cost for Lenke 1A AIS Patients
• When is Pelvic Fixation Necessary in Children with Hypotonic Neuromuscular Scoliosis (NMS) Treated with Growing Instrumentation?

Throughout our 100-year history, several Scottish Rite for Children staff have served in leadership roles and received prestigious awards/recognitions within the Scoliosis Research Society. This year, former Assistant Chief of Staff Emeritus Charles E. Johnston, M.D., was selected to give the Harrington Lecture – Toward Biologic Treatments Addressing Etiology of Scoliosis. This lectureship was created in honor of Paul R. Harrington, M.D., (1911-1980), who served as the SRS President in 1973. Harrington was the designer of the Harrington Instrumentation, which was the technique used throughout the world to care for patients with spine deformities from the 1960s to the 1990s. 

In addition, former pediatric orthopedic surgeon and Assistant Chief of Staff Lori A. Karol, M.D., was honored for her service as the first female Vice President of the prestigious medical organization.

Learn more about our spine research.