Orthopaedic Surgery
Research
Physician-scientists of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Research Team at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital conduct their own research to advance the care of children with musculoskeletal concerns, and are among an elite group of spine surgeons selected to participate in national research groups. The Chest Wall and Spinal Deformity Study group is comprised of 20 members from across the country who are interested in defining new ways to treat severe deformities that affect both the spine an the rib cage. This group is collecting data on the outcomes of patients treated with VEPTR. Also members of the Spinal Deformity Study Group, a research committee of 50 surgeons from across North America, they focus on multicenter studies of rare conditions such as Infantile Scoliosis and Early Onset Scoliosis.
Quality of Life
Studies to measure the impact of a child's health on his life and his families' life gather in a number of domains as physical functioning, mental health and the impact of the child's condition on the caregiver's time and outlook. However, many of these studies are unable to accurately measure quality of life in EOS because of their compromised conditions. One of the major goals of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Research Group is to develop new methodologies to measure the impact of EOS and the care of EOS on children whose quality of life we have not been able to measure before.
In a recent analysis, the Research Group found that patients with TIS score among the lowest in all pediatric populations in almost all domains in measures of quality of life. This is a significant benchmark that will allow effective measurement of the impact of the VEPTR treatment. Patients receiving VEPTR treatments return for adjustments every 4-6 months as the child grows so that the device can be lengthened or replaced, until the chest cavity is large enough to support adult sized lung capacity. The Research Group will continue to collect data to understand the impact of this life-saving treatment.
