The use of serial casting in the management of early onset scoliosis (EOS) has been well described. Our aim was to evaluate outcomes of plaster jacket therapy in patients with EOS from a tertiary referral centre.

A retrospective review of hospital records and PACS images of 27 patients to identify patients treated with serial casting over a five year period. The primary outcome measure was the need for surgical intervention, with change in Cobb angle used as a secondary outcome measure

Mean age at presentation was 14 months (range 10 – 42), including 14 male and 13 female patients, with an average follow-up of 34 months. Curves were categorised according to aetiology: 16 idiopathic, 6 syndromic, 3 congenital and 2 neuromuscular curves. The mean Cobb angle at diagnosis was 43.7° (range 22 – 115) and mean rib vertebral angle difference (RVAD) was 22.2° (8 – 70). Duration of treatment was 9.9 months (range 3 – 27), with an average of two plaster jacket changes per child. At the time of review, patients fell into one of three groups. Group one (10 patients) failed conservative treatment due no improvement in Cobb angle (mean 48.4° compared with pre-op 53.9°, p value 0.55) and either had insertion of growing rods or had been listed for this procedure, at a mean age of 51.8 months. Group two (12 patients) had a mean Cobb angle of 38.9° pre-treatment which improved to 23.5° (p value <0.05) and were either treated in a brace or had discontinued treatment. The mean RVAD at initial diagnosis was 36.6° in group 1 compared with 13.8° in group 2 (p<0.05). All patients in group one requiring surgical treatment had an RVAD of greater than 20°. Serial casting is on-going for five patients (group three). Complications occurred in 30% of patients including pressure sores, chest infection and respiratory compromise requiring intubation.

Current NICE guidance recognises that serial casting ‘rarely corrects scoliosis’ but recommends it may be used ‘to allow growth before a more permanent treatment is offered’. In our experience, serial casting did not allow any patients with a progressive scoliosis (determined by an RVAD of greater than 20°), to reach a single definitive fusion. However serial casting appeared to halt to curve progression until the child was suitable for the insertion of a growing rod system.