TIBIAL AUTOGRAFT IN POSTERIOR INSTRUMENTED SPINAL FUSION IN PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SCOLIOSIS: A DESCRIPTION OF SURGICAL TECHNIQUE, REVIEW OF OUTCOME AND DONOR SITE MORBIDITY

The study describes a technique of tibial autograft to augment posterior instrumented spinal fusion in a population of paediatric patients with severe idiopathic, neuromuscular or syndromic scoliosis who are at a higher risk of postoperative pseudarthrosis and reports patient outcomes in terms of union rate, donor site morbidity and cost.Patients were identified from a review of waiting list and operating room records between 2007–2014. Surgery was performed by the senior author. Information on patient demographics, underlying diagnosis, age at surgery, revision surgery and length of follow-up was obtained from clinic notes. Parents of children were followed up with a structured telephone questionnaire regarding ambulatory status, post-operative pain, infection, further surgery and general satisfaction.Four hundred and nine patients underwent posterior instrumented spinal fusion, during the study period. Forty-two patients’ fusions were augmented with tibial graft, 40 of whom participated in the study. Th...