SPINAL DEFECTS IN CHILDREN
Congenital means something that is present by birth. When there is problem in the spinal cord of a child from the time of birth it is known as congenital spinal defect or deformity. Many times it is seen in the ultrasounds during the pregnancy but may not be so severe that the child needs to be aborted. Some defects are visible only after the birth. The best part is that most of them could be corrected or managed through non-surgical or surgical methods. Not many spine specialists are comformtable when it comes to paediatric spine treatment but Dr Sudeep Jain is one of the best paediatric spine specialist apart from treating normal spine problems in adults. The most common spine problem that Dr Sudeep Jain sees at his spine centre in New Delhi are basically kids suffering from kyphosis (hump in the spine), scoliosis (curved spine) or lordosis (inward curve of lower back).
SYMPTOMS
The signs of a congenital spinal deformity are visible in the form of difference in shoulder height or hip height or an off centre head with respect to spine or visibily off centre spine itself. Sometimes the posture is also deformed which also indicates spinal deformity.
Symptoms depend upon the type of deformity. A scoliosis or a curved spine would present with pain, growth issues in the child or decreased height. Similarly a person with kyphosis or the hump in the spine would have a posture which is more forward bent and would also be acompanied by pain and difficulty in performing day to day functions. Diagnosis of the spinal deformity can be done through an ultrasound in early age of the child or through X-ray, CT Scan or MRI once the child grows up.
TREATMENT
As the symptoms of each type of deformity differ so is the best line of treatment. The line of treatment depends upon the severity of the deofrmity and the symptoms that they present with. In cases of scoliosis if the curve is less than 40 degrees then our spine specialist in New Delhi Dr Sudeep Jain goes for a conservative treatment through braces where as in case the curve is more than 40 degrees then the best line of treatment may be surgical correction of spine. Similarly in case of kyphosis a microscopic surgery called kyphoplasty is performed for the correction of the defect. What is the line of treatment decided by Dr Sudeep Jain one can be rest assured that this is going to be in the best interest of the patient and is going to improve the quality of life of the patient and family.
