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NSD >> Services >> Specialist Services (Scotland) >> Paediatric and Young Adult Spinal Deformity

Paediatric and Young Adult Spinal Deformity (Scoliosis)

This service provides care for children and young adults with a range of spinal deformities. The most common condition is scoliosis, which causes a side-to-side or ‘S-shaped’ curvature of the spine. Scoliosis can be a congenital (inherited) or idiopathic (without a known cause) condition. In most cases of idiopathic scoliosis, surgery provides a cure for this condition. A significant number of children with neuromuscular and neurological degenerative conditions are now being referred to this service, due to the improvement that spinal surgery can offer to their quality of life.

In April 2009, the remit of the service was extended from its original paediatric designation to include young adults, and as such the service now comprises of two components:

Paediatric - up to (and including) the age of 16, and
Young adult - between the person's 17th and 40th birthday

For patients out with the current service criteria, referral to a service within England is recommended.

Paediatric

The service is in place for children with the following conditions:

  • idiopathic scoliosis (infantile, juvenile and adolescent)
  • congenital scoliosis
  • severe Scheurmann’s kyphosis
  • neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, and syndromic conditions which present with a similar constellation of symptoms (for children over the age of 10 years)
  • Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Children with the following conditions should receive clinical consideration from the service on a case by case basis:

  • Other neuromuscular conditions including Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Myotonic Dystrophy
  • Neurofibromatosis
  • Post-irradiation scoliosis

Young adult

The service covers young adults with the following conditions:

  • Congenital spinal deformity
  • Severe Scheuermann’s kyphosis
  • High grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis
  • Late onset or missed idiopathic adolescent scoliosis
  • Kyphosis due to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Review of national paediatric and young adult spinal deformity service

This year, a comprehensive review of the service will be undertaken to identify the current and future capacity and demand for the service. A review of the conditions currently covered by the service and the eligible age criteria will also be undertaken.

This will enable the service to ascertain its required future capacity to be able to provide a safe, effective, efficient, equitable, timely, person-centred service for the population of Scotland. Further information will be posted to the National Services Division website once it is available.

Lead clinician:

Mr Thanos Tsirikos, Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon

Service contact address:

Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh
9 Sciennes Road
Edinburgh
EH9 1LF

National Services Division contacts:

To contact members of NSD staff, please visit our staff contacts page.

Mel Miller, Programme Manager