Request for Funding

Mentor: Daniel J. Sucato, M.D., M.S.
Department: Orthopaedics
Room number: n/a: Texas Scottish Rite Hospital
Mail Code: 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, TX 75219
Phone number: 214-559-7685
E-mail: Dan.Sucato@tsrh.org
Project title: Prospective Evaluation of Pulmonary Function in Pediatric Spinal Deformity Comparing Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) with Other Surgical Approaches

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 0500-233

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): n/a

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Patient Based

Brief Description of Project:

Purpose of Project: To prospectively evaluate the changes in pulmonary function in patients undergoing surgical intervention for juvenile (JIS) or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) or idiopathic (Scheuermann's) kyphosis comparing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery to perform an anterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (VATS- ASFI) with other operative approaches.

CONCISE SUMMARY OF PROJECT: Two-hundred-forty (240) patients who have JIS, AIS or idiopathic (Scheurmann's) kyphosis, will participate in the study. Six groups of patients will be evaluated, with forty patients per group, based on the type of operative treatment received:
Group I: PSF
Group II: PSF w/ thoracoplasty
Group III: ASF/PSF
Group IV: ASF with anterior instrumentation
Group V: VATS and PSF
Group VI: VATS and anterior instrumentation
The patients will have pulmonary function tests (PFT's) preoperatively and 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postoperatively. The PFT's will consist of volume and flow parameters including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV1), and total lung capacity (TLC). In addition, the preoperative, immediate postoperative and final postoperative radiographs, operative time, blood loss, chest tube drainage and hospital stay will be recorded.


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