Back in December 2010, over 3 years ago, Dr. Rick McCarthy, (an SRS colleague) and I worked together to help Janelle, a 6 yo with a severe 110 degree early onset scoliosis, using an anterior fusion/release followed by the Shilla Technique — a special growing rod technique that Dr. McCarthy has helped develop.

Yesterday, I took Janelle back to surgery to revise her Shilla to the final instrumentation and fusion, and got a chance to show her the new X-Ray, that shows her back very, very straight!  Her smile says it all.

I think she’s gonna be quite a bit taller now!!
Janelle asked me what that big thing was on her X-Ray — that is the bur that we use for surgery, that was not left in there, but was just resting on top for the film.

Many thanks again to Dr. Rick McCarthy and his team for helping Janelle, and teaching me this new technique which has helped other children since then here in the North Carolina / Southeast region with this improved type of growing rod technique.  I was very pleased to see that the levels above and below the apical fusion where still flexible, so I could get a very good final correction, which is often an issue with standard growing rods, where they tend to get very stiff with auto fusion.

Many thanks also to the excellent staff at WakeMed Children’s Hospital!

Dr. Lloyd Hey — Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery — https://www.heyclinic.com