update and RVAD question

[Guest guest]

Well, I've been waiting to get Dr. H's measurements to update you about .

In mid-February, she had an x-ray taken here in Michigan, per Dr. H's (Chicago

Shriners) suggestion. The radiologist here measured her Cobb at 6-8 degrees. I

was ECSTATIC to hear this! She had been out of her brace for 7 days prior to the

x-ray (per Dr. H's request).

Shortly after, we went to a new, local pediatric ortho (for another

perspective/opinion), who QUICKLY measured this x-ray and said it looked to him

to be around 12 degrees. He said she looks " good " and should just stay in her

brace until he sees her again in June.

That same day, at Chicago Shriners called and said that Dr. H received the

x-ray and said " the curve looks very small, she's no longer a candidate for

casting " . So I asked her if I could get the exact numbers that he had measured.

And then I waited, and left messages, and waited, and called, and waited, and

FINALLY got Dr. H's measurements today. His measurement of her last x-ray is

" about " Cobb 12/RVAD 10. He said it wasn't the easiest to measure since it

wasn't from a film, he just printed it off onto paper and did it. (Uh, ok??? Not

super impressed with that.)

At this point, we are hoping and waiting patiently STILL for Dr. M from here in

Michigan to come back. He is the one who did 's 3 casts and he is the MOST

awesome doctor I've ever known. His little webpage says that he may know

when/where he'll be back " by April or so " , so I'm eagerly waiting and praying we

will see him again soon!

Until then, I have a question. I understand the " under 10 degrees " as a goal

that some doctors aim for moving from casts to bracing. What about the RVAD,

though? I was bummed to hear that 's RVAD is still measuring at 10 degrees

(although I understand it wasn't measured the best). Before her first cast, she

was around RVAD 25 degrees, so it is definitely progress. But doesn't that

indicate significant rotation? I was really hoping her RVAD would be close to 0,

as I was told that in-cast #3 (her last, back in June 2010) measured Cobb 10

with " almost no rotation " (although those measurements were laying down in the

OR right after casting).

Any thoughts??? I guess I was hoping Dr. H's measurements would be closer to the

radiologist's, and I wasn't prepared to hear her RVAD is still significant. Or

maybe that's normal for a curve around 10-12 degrees???

Thanks!

~

Mom to , age 4.5, 3 casts in Michigan, Cobb 36 precast ~ Cobb 10 in cast

#3 ~ holding at Cobb " 10-ish " in brace (since August 2010)