1. How long is the surgery?
Scoliosis surgery takes usually 5-6 hours.
2. Is it done through general anesthesia?
Yes. general anesthesia and neuro monitoring is a must in scoliosis surgery
3. Does she need to be on any medication to prepare her body prior to the surgery?
No, this is not usually required unless she suffers from a particular medical condition.
4. What exactly will be implanted and is the implant done from the back only? We have read that in some cases front opening is done.
Only back opening in most scoliosis surgeries, screws, and rods will be used, implants are made of titanium which are biocompatible material.
5. Are these implanted once for life?
Most likely. we do not remove metal implants unless they cause an unlikely problem.
6. What are these implant items made of? Will these wear off / rust/break in the body as she grows older? If so, how will these be changed? Another surgery?
Implants items are made of Titanium and they are biocompatible and the need to remove them is unlikely.
7. Will these implants have any effects later in life for any other surgery (if required - Caesarians)?
No effects have been reported in the long term.
8. When she grows taller & ages, will the implants still support her Spinal Cord? Are you gaging an approx length when fixing the support?
Patients above 10 years of old will not grow much from their spine anymore, hence we fix them with no significant effects on the neural tissue and growth of the spine.
9. Post-surgery how will she pass urine/bowels? She won’t be able to walk immediately right?
Post-op patients will have a urinary catheter until they are mobile, nurses will help her in this. she will be able to walk on the next day in most cases.
10. For how long is she put in ICU? Are we allowed to see her? Can we be with her in ICU?
Scoliosis surgery patients may need ICU admission for one night sometimes for safety monitoring. You can visit the ICU briefly.
11. How long will she be staying in the hospital? Will she be lying on her back or on her stomach?
4-5 days lying as comfortable on her back or sides.
12. After how long will she come back to her senses post-surgery?
13. Will she have the scar from top to bottom of the spine or only where the curve will be opened? And will this be only 1 cut?
One scar for most of the back will be required.
14. Are the stitches dissolving ones?
Sometimes we use dissolving material but sometimes we may use skin clips requiring removal.
15. If stitches need to be removed, when is it done? And how? Will she have pain?
After 2 weeks we remove the stitching, which is not a painful procedure.
16. Will she have any food restrictions during the recovery period?
No restrictions on food in most cases.
17. Will she need to maintain any specific weight? Being heavy might be an impact on the spine in the long run right?
patients are better to remain average weight, slight overweight is not a problem.
18. If the surgery is not done how will it affect her in the future?
Curves above 40 degrees will increase with age in most cases and can become painful. There are many variabilities in these and I am happy to discuss these in person.
19. Will this surgery/condition have any impact on married life & pregnancy?
20. Will you provide a full report on her condition after the surgery? We might need separate letters to provide to school / Coaches/carry while traveling etc.
A medical report will be provided with our extreme pleasure.
21. What sports do you think are safe for her in the long run after surgery? Also, what sports are not good for her?
Swimming is recommended, but aggressive sports are not.
22. Are roller coaster rides safe for her before surgery/after recovery? She wanted to do this and we discouraged her. We do not want any impact on her spine.
It is okay, she can do it safely now and in the future as well.
23. How safe is this surgery? Are there any chances of any conditions post-surgery we have to be aware of? Will this surgery have any impact on her nerves?
The chances of complications are 3-4 % including nerve injury and spinal cord injury. This is minimized by the neuro monitoring during surgery.
24. How many more doctors will attend to her apart from you being the main lead? And who will they be? (Anesthetist / Neurologists / Other Orthopedics etc)
Me as the surgeon, anesthetist, and my assistant.
25. We have read that Scoliosis patients have a chance of having Osteoporosis as they age? What is the ratio of this condition and how can we avoid it?
Not in her case at all. Not in idiopathic scoliosis treated properly at the right time.
26. Does she need to take any specific supplements post the surgery for her bones?
Not necessarily. balanced food intake is enough.
27. What is the recovery period?
28. How often & how long does she need to do physiotherapy?
3 months is more than enough in most cases.
29. Will the implants be detected when passing through metal detectors – Airports / Shopping malls, etc.?
Yes, we can provide you with a letter to certify this.
30. After how long can she travel by flight / Car after the surgery?
Post-op patients can travel by car after 5 days, and fly after 4 weeks.
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