Grant: Project Grant

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a complex 3-D deformation of the trunk, with a prevalence of about 1 - 3% in the general population. Among patients with AIS, about one in a thousand will need surgery using spinal instrumentation and fusion to correct the deformity. About 15 000 such surgeries are performed every year in North America and more than 4000 were performed at Sainte Justine hospital during the last 30 years. Persistence of external trunk asymmetry after scoliosis surgical treatment is frequent and difficult to predict by clinicians. This is a significant problem considering that correction of the apparent deformity is a major factor of satisfaction for the patients. A simulation of the correction on the external appearance would allow the clinician to illustrate to the patient the potential result of the surgery and would help in deciding on a surgical strategy that could most improve his/her appearance. The main objective of this project is to develop a simulator to predict the scoliotic trunk shape after a spine surgical intervention. Once validated, the proposed simulator will benefit the surgeon by providing an enhanced preoperative planning tool and the patient by allowing her/him to readily understand the outcome of surgery. This technology will increase the quality of life of the patient and will benefit the Canadian economy by reduction in health care costs, due to an objectively chosen optimal strategy of treatment.