ARTICLE: PDF OnlyThe Natural History of Congenital Kyphosis in Myelomeningocele A Review of 51 ChildrenMINTZ, LESLIE J. MD*; SARWARK, JOHN F. MD†; DIAS, LUCIANO S. MD†; SCHAFER, MICHAEL F. MD†Author Information *University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, and †Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. Spine: August 1991 - Volume 16 - Issue 8 - p S351 Free Abstract The progression of congenital lumbar kyphosis in myelomeningocele is a well-known problem, but rates of progression are not well documented in the literature. Fifty-one children with congenital kyphosis and myelomeningocele were followed for an average of 4.8 years. Minimum follow-up was 1 year. Group I (35 patients) had initial radiographs at 1 year of age or less. Group II (16 patients) had radiographs taken after the age of 1 year. Curves >90° in Group I progressed 7.7>/yr; those >90° progressed 12.1°/yr. Curves >90° and >90° in Group II progressed at similar rates, regardless of initial curve magnitude: 6.4°/yr and 6.7°/yr, respectively. No correlation existed among the rate of curve progression, the frequency of shunt revisions, or the presence of vertebral anomalies, aside from the dysraphism. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers.
