Results of kyphectomy with the technique of Warner and Fackler in childrenwith myelodysplasia

Pathological lumbar kyphosis occurs in approximately 8% to 20% of patients with myelomeningocele. During the past 4 years, nine patients with an avera ge preoperative kyphosis of 152 degrees were surgically corrected. They had a short fusion and a long stabilization with Luque rod instrumentation usi ng a technique described by Warner and Fackler (1993). The average degree o f correction was 104 degrees and, on average, 2.5 vertebrae were resected. The average surgical time was 225 minutes, and blood loss averaged 635 ml. We saw two complications: one penetration of the distal part of the rod thr ough the sacrum after 32 months, and a dislocation of the rods out of the f irst sacral foramen after 33 months. mom our experience, this procedure is highly demanding, but effective. It should be limited to patients below the weight of 30 kg.