1. One hundred babies under the age of one year with untreated structural idiopathic scoliosis have been studied and the outcome assessed. 2. Ninety-two recovered spontaneously. Five developed progressive curves of bad prognosis and three developed secondary structural (double primary) scoliosis. 3. It is suggested that intrauterine moulding may cause the deformity.
A carefully planned operation may be expected to check increasing deformity without doing harm, and to make subsequent bony stabilisation easier. In favourable cases it may be possible to restore muscle balance and stability, making further surgery unnecessary. A longer follow-up is necessary to determine to what extent this ideal can be achieved.
