Titanium rib implant a success at Shriners Hospital

Titanium

rib implant a success at Shriners Hospital

Doctors discovered

that 3-year-old Matthew Harper's spine was curved when he was only 4 months

old. He was diagnosed with progressive scoliosis. His mother also had

scoliosis. She only had a slight curve and never needed treatment.

A brace was

made for Matthew to wear under his clothes with the intention of keeping

the curve from progressing. When bracing did not work anymore and his

curve was progressing to 85 degrees, Randal Betz, M.D., chief of staff

at Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, spoke to his family about a new

procedure that might benefit Matthew.

Shriners Hospital

is one of seven sites in the United States that is participating in a

study entitled VEPTR, Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib, better

known as titanium rib. The study is under Federal Drug Administration

approval.

Matthew is

the first Philadelphia Shriners Hospital patient to undergo this procedure.

His curve had been interfering with his breathing and he has thoracic

insufficiency syndrome, which is the inability of the thorax to support

normal respiration or lung growth.

Betz performed

a successful surgery on Matthew and he is now wearing a brace to protect

the hardware and recent incision. During surgery, the titanium rib was

attached on the posterior chest to an upper rib at one end and to a lower

rib or lumbar spine at the other end.

"This

will help expand the rib cage and help straighten Matthew's spine,"

explained Betz. "It will also allow his chest cavity to grow as he

grows. We will go back every four to six months and expand it, so that

it grows as Matthew grows."

Matthew will

continue to have less invasive procedures during his growing period until

about age 13 or 14. Matthew has been