Three-dimensional computed tomography in the assessment of congenital scoliosis

Objective. Patients with congenital vertebral anomalies frequently are affl icted with kyphoscoliosis, with the curvatures often being severe and progr essive. Spinal fusion almost always is the treatment of choice in such pati ents. This report examines the use of three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) in the preoperative investigation of patients with congenital scol iosis. Design ann patients. Twelve spinal CT examinations on 11 pediatric patients with congenital scoliosis underwent image processing to produce 3D images. The 3D images were compared with both the axial sections from the CT exami nations and multiplanar reformations with regard to the detection of malfor mations liable to cause progression of scoliosis (i.e., hemivertebrae and u nsegmented bars). Results and conclusions. In six of the 12 cases, the 3D images provided imp roved depiction of the congenital anomalies and their interrelationships co mpared with planar CT images. This work suggests that 3D CT can be a useful tool in the assessment of patients with congenital scoliosis.