[Early radical corrective surgery in congenital deformities of the lateral and posterolateral portion of the vertebrae].

The article deals with the techniques of operation for semivertebra extirpation together with one-stage correction of the deformity with a contractor and anterior and posterior fixation of the spine. The operation was performed on 28 children as a result of which the spinal deformity was corrected, on the average, by 75% of the initial deformity in patients with scoliosis and by 50-66% in those with kyphoscoliosis. In 9 patients the initial deformity was corrected by more than 90%. Stable correction of the deformity was achieved in 84% of patients. The poor results (3 cases) were due to the use of a short compressing rod and erroneous choice of the material for spondylodesis. The operation is rekommended in progressing spinal deformities in young children under 3 years of age.