The conservative treatment of congenital scoliosis with hemivertebra: report of three cases

Background Scoliosis is the most common congenital disorder. The vertebral disorder can be due to failure of formation, segmentation or their combination. Complete formation failure results in hemivertebra that can cause asymmetrical growth and deformity. The etiopathogenesis of congenital scoliosis is still unclear. Twenty-five percent of congenital curves do not progress, 25% undergoes mild progression, while the remaining 50% evolve rapidly and require treatment. Hemivertebra, in the thoraco-lumbar area, display faster rates of progression than those in the lumbar region. The treatment can be either conservative, or surgical. Usually, in rigid and short curves bracing is not recommended, whereas it can be useful for the treatment of secondary curves.