Case Library

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Adult Deformity

  • Adult Male with Neurofibromatosis and Dural Ectasia
    This adult male patient had neurofibromatosis (a nervous system disorder characterized by tumors developing from the nerve tissue). He also had dural ectasia, which means the dura (the protective covering of the spinal cord) is expanding, proliferating, and destroying the surrounding bones.
  • Fixed Sagittal Imbalance after Surgeries for Scoliosis and Kyphosis
    This patient is an adult female who had several surgeries as a teenager for congenital scoliosis and kyphosis. She had anterior and posterior operations. She presented to Dr. Bridwell’s office with fixed sagittal imbalance and severe disc degeneration at L4-L5 and L5-S1.
  • Left Lumbar Scoliosis with Spinal Stenosis
    This patient is an adult female with a progressive left lumbar curve and spinal stenosis at 2 segments. The spinal stenosis caused spinal claudication symptoms and leg pain with ambulation (walking).
  • Severe Coronal and Sagittal Deformity and Imbalance
    This patient is an adult female who had 8 prior surgeries. She had unsuccessful Smith-Petersen osteotomies (a treatment for sagittal deformity) in the upper lumbar spine and a pedicle subtraction procedure in the lower portion of the lumbar spine by another surgeon at another institution.

Adult Scoliosis

  • Adult Scoliosis and Kyphosis
    The patient is an adult female who presented to Dr. Bridwell’s office with increasing deformity and decreased height over the last 20 years.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Double Major Curve, an Excellent Outcome
    When this 68-year-old female patient first came to Dr. Bridwell from Tennessee, he identified that she had a progressive double major scoliosis curve. Right before surgery, she had a 54° curve in her thoracic spine (the area near the rib cage and shoulder blades) and a 50° curve in her lumbar spine (waistline level between the rib cage and pelvis). These curves had progressed roughly 20° over the last 10-15 years. This patient came from Tennessee to see Dr. Bridwell.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Large Curves and Lost Height
    This adult female patient had very large thoracic and lumbar curves. She reported losing 6” to7” of height with aging. The deformity is so severe that at the thoracolumbar junction (where the thoracic and lumbar spines meet), the spinal elements are rotated and angled over 90°.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Less Invasive Long Fusion to the Sacrum
    This 47-year-old female patient came from Arizona to see Dr. Bridwell with fairly big thoracic (the area near the rib cage and shoulder blades) and lumbar (waistline level between the rib cage and pelvis) curves. Her thoracic curve was at 81º, and her lumbar curve was at 71º.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Lumbar scoliosis treated with a very short fusion
    A 49-year-old female patient came to Dr. Bridwell. Her lumbar curve had progressed from 27° to 46° over the years. She’s very healthy otherwise, and physiologically, she seems younger than her stated age.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Primary adult lumbar scoliosis, 5 years post-op still very active and athletic
    By the time she was 57, this patient had seen two surgeons, two chiropractors, and a physical therapist. None of them could help her, and she found it increasingly difficult to do activities she loved, such as hiking, kayaking, and teaching, without pain.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Progressive Thoracolumbar Curve Treated Surgically, doing great more than 10 years post-op
    In 1996, this 53-year-old female patient came to Dr. Bridwell with progressive adult scoliosis. She had a thoracolumbar curve—one curve that involved both her thoracic spine (the area near the rib cage and shoulder blades) and her lumbar spine (waistline level between the rib cage and pelvis) —that was 62º. The curve extended all the way to the sacrum, the end of the spine.
  • Adult Scoliosis: Right thoracic curve, doing great 14 years post-op
    This 52-year-old female patient came to Dr. Bridwell with a progressive right thoracic curve (the area near the rib cage and shoulder blades) —it was getting progressively worse. When she first came, the curve was 73°.
  • Adult with Large Thoracic Curve
    This patient is a middle aged female whose thoracic curve has progressed 20° over a 2-year period. She thought she was losing height and that her rib cage was resting on her pelvis.

Cerebral Palsy Spinal Deformity

Congenital Scoliosis

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Spinal Deformity

High-grade Spondylolisthesis

Isthmic Spondylolisthesis

Kyphosis

Neurofibromatosis associated with connective tissue disorder and spinal dysplasia/Spontaneous Spinal Dislocation

  • Neurofibromatosis and Dural Ectasia in Teen
    This patient is a teenage male with neurofibromatosis (a nervous system disorder characterized by tumors developing from the nerve tissue) who had very substantial upper thoracic back pain.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Spinal Deformity