Clinical effect of continuous corrective force delivery in the non-operative treatment of XXXX : a prospective cohort study of the TriaC-brace.

@entity1 @entity717 @entity2112 @entity851
A prospective cohort study of skeletally immature idiopathic scoliotic @entity1 treated with the TriaC brace. To determine if the TriaC brace is effective in preventing curve progression in immature adolescent idiopathic scoliotic @entity1 with a very high risk of curve progression based on reported natural history data. The aim of the newly introduced TriaC brace is to reverse the pathologic transverse force pattern by externally applied and continuously present orthotic forces. In the frontal plane the force system used in the TriaC brace is similar to the force system of the conventional braces. However, in the sagittal plane the force system acts only on the thoracic region. In addition, the brace allows upper @entity851 without affecting the corrective forces during body motion. In a preliminary study it is demonstrated that the brace prevents further progression of both the Cobb angle and @entity717 in @entity2112 . Skeletally immature @entity1 with @entity2112 with curves between 20 and 40 degrees were studied prospectively. Skeletally immature was defined as a Risser sign 0 or 1 for both @entity1 and @entity1 , or pre-menarche or less than 1-year post-menarche for @entity1 . Curves of less than 30 degrees had to have documented progression before entry. The mean age of the @entity1 at the start of treatment was 11.3 +/- 3.1 years. All measurements were collected by a single observer, and all @entity1 were followed up to skeletal maturity. Treatment was complete for all @entity1 when they had reached Risser sign 4 and did not show any further growth at length measurements. This was at a mean age of 15.6 +/- 1.1 years, with a mean follow-up of 1.6 years post bracing. In our study a successful outcome was obtained in 76% of @entity1 treated with the TriaC brace. Comparing our data to literature data on natural history of a similar cohort shows that the TriaC brace significantly alters the predicted natural history. The current study demonstrates that treatment with the TriaC brace reduces the scoliosis, and that the achieved correction is maintained in some degree after skeletal maturity is reached and bracing is discontinued. It also prevents further progression of the Cobb angle in @entity2112 . The new brace does not differ from the conventional braces as far as maintaining the deformity is concerned.
