Nemours Childrens Clinic

[Guest guest]

This is one of the places I was thinking about taking Zane

to...Nemours Case Studies

Amelia:

Scoliosis

While Amelia was growing up in West Virginia, her parents noticed

that her motor skills were not as well developed as those of most

kids her age. They took her to the family's pediatrician, and

eventually she was diagnosed with a split spinal cord. The bony

separation of her spinal column caused tethering of the cord and

weakness of her lower extremities.

Amelia underwent surgery when she was nineteen months old to remove

the split, but later developed severe scoliosis (curvature of the

spine). Her doctors put her into a brace in hopes of arresting the

progression of the curve, but the scoliosis continued to worsen.

Amelia's severe " S' curve measured 90 degrees in the lumbar area and

almost 70 degrees in the thoracic area. This caused her trunk to

shift, giving her an unsightly, shortened appearance, and made one of

her legs shorter than the other.

Amelia's family was referred to a hospital in Florida for further

medical care for their daughter. Unhappy with the treatment they

received, the family moved to Pensacola seeking help from orthopedic

surgeon, Dr. Marc Cardelia at Nemours Children's Clinic.

Amelia was thirteen years old when Dr. Cardelia first saw her in

December of 1998. In April 1999, Dr. Cardelia performed major

anterior and posterior instrumented spinal fusion on Amelia during a

14-hour operation at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital. Because

Amelia's anatomy was so abnormal after her prior surgery, Dr.

Cardelia employed a computer guided navigation system to assist him

in the operating room. The system displayed a reconstructed, three-

dimensional model of Amelia's anatomy on a television screen,

enabling Dr. Cardelia to insert instrumentation into her spine

safely.

One week after surgery, Amelia had gained three inches in height, and

her posture and spinal column curvature showed dramatic improvement.

Amelia's parents were ecstatic about the results of the surgery and

wish they had come to Nemours sooner.