OBJECTIVE: evaluate the surgical treatment results of severe spine deformities using the preoperative halo gravity traction. METHODS: seventeen scoliosis patients with different pathologies were evaluated (6 congenital, 2 tumor, 2 neurofibromatosis, 1 idiopathic, 1 rickets, and 5 neuromuscular). Those patients underwent a deformity correction surgery in the spine. The variety of age was 6 to 26 years-old (average of 13.75±4.5). The clinical features evaluated were age, gender, time of traction and weight used on traction. The radiographic data analyzed follows: scoliosis curve kyphosis, and spine height. Those features were evaluated in the preoperative, during traction and postoperative period. RESULTS: the time of traction range was of 14 to 106 days (34.5±20.83) and the weight of traction percentage to the patient's body weight varied of 12.5 to 50% (30%±9.36). The average value for scoliosis was 98.6±25.7º (Cobb) before the surgery and 77º±29.4º postoperative, showing the correction average of 27º with 63% of the correction during the traction time. The kyphosis average was 86.3±32.08º (Cobb) before and 60º±20.9º after surgery, representing the correction of 26º, with 92% of the correction in the traction time. CONCLUSION: the surgical treatment of severe spine deformities through the preoperative halo gravity traction brings good correction for the curves, thus reducing the amount of intraoperative correction.
Scoliosis; Kyphosis; Traction
