1. Surgical Site Infections after Early Onset Scoliosis Definitive Fusion Surgeries
Swamy Kurra
Stephen Albanese
Patrick Cahill
Randal Betz
William Lavelle
HARMS Study Group
Children’s Spine Study Group

2. Hypothesis
Compare surgical site infections associated with posterior definitive fusion in early onset scoliosis (EOS) with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients.

3. Study Design Retrospective study
2 prospectively collected databases (n= 145)
HARMS Study
Children’s Spine Study
Reviewed EOS and AIS patients involved in definitive fusions

4. Background
Surgical site infections have been well described in AIS population after fusion surgery.
EOS population with surgical site infections after definitive fusion surgery have not been reported in literature.

6. Materials Groups categorized into:
AIS (n = 111)
EOS (n – 34)
Analyzed definitive fusion surgical site infection complications between AIS and EOS groups using Chi-square
P < 0.05 considered statistically significant

7. Results Average age at time of definitive fusion:
AIS = 11.3 years
EOS = 12.6 years
Surgical site infection rate after definitive fusion: p = 0.21
AIS = 3.6% ( 4 out of 111)
EOS = 8.8% (3 out of 34)
EOS Group:
2 patients resolved without further surgery
1 patient had surgical intervention
AIS Group:
3 patients needed surgical intervention (1 patient had construct removed)

8. Results
14 EOS patients had spine infections during growth phase of treatment
None of these patients had infections after definitive fusion

9. Results AIS EOS N 111 34 Age (mean) 11.3 12.6 Fusion levels (mean)
11.6
13.3
Surgical Infections
4 (3.6%)
3 (8.8%)

10. Conclusion
Surgical site infections occurred in a higher percentage of EOS patients than AIS patients after definitive fusion.
Difference did not reach statistical significance.
Possibly due to small number in EOS group
All infections were resolved in both groups with medical or surgical intervention.