In their 2-year follow-up of 39 consecutive adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis treated with spinal fusion, researchers of this study found implant density was significantly associated with curve correction.

“Without curve flexibility taken into consideration, implant density is positively correlated with thoracolumbar or lumbar coronal Cobb curve correction,” Jiayu Chen, MD, and colleagues wrote in their study abstract. “No significant correlation is found between screw density and correction index, if the effect of the flexibility was eliminated. There was no association between implant density and magnitude of sagittal curve correction before and after surgery.”

The retrospective study included a single surgeon’s series of patients with Lenke 5 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who had single-stage posterior correction and instrumented fusion using pedicle screw fixation at a mean age of 14.5 years. According to the study abstract, the researchers analyzed patients’ radiographs at baseline, immediately following surgery and at 2 years after surgery. Chen and colleagues found the lumbar curve was 48.5° preoperatively and 13.7° at 2-year follow-up.