Should I have surgery for scoliosis?

  Scoliosis is a more common spinal disorder in children and adolescents, and bothers many students and parents, especially when the deformity is found and they are eager to know: will it develop, what will it eventually develop into, how to treat it, and whether surgery is necessary.  To understand these questions, it is important to first understand the onset of scoliosis.  Scoliosis is a deformity of the back on the surface, but may actually arise from a variety of causes, including: congenital, neuromuscular, neurofibromatosis, Marfan syndrome, idiopathic, and so on.  1, congenital: congenital abnormal development of vertebral segments, such as: incomplete formation of vertebral segments, segmentation disorders, etc.  2, neuromuscular: due to abnormal development of the central nervous system or muscle disease resulting in spinal deformity 3, neurofibromatosis: a chromosomal disease, extensive growth of neurofibromas throughout the body, often combined with spinal deformity 4, Marfan syndrome: also a chromosomal disease, patients in addition to scoliosis, often accompanied by multiple connective tissue lesions throughout the body, such as: cardiac lesions 5, idiopathic scoliosis: the simple occurrence of of scoliosis and rotational deformity, without any other abnormalities in the development of the spine itself or neuromuscular and other abnormalities. It is the most common type of scoliosis, accounting for about 70% of the cases.  For congenital and neuromuscular scoliosis, the onset is often early, and once it starts to develop, its aggravation is faster, so it should be operated as early as possible. For malignant neurofibromatosis scoliosis, surgery should also be performed as early as possible because of its rapid development. For benign neurofibromatosis scoliosis, Marfan syndrome, and idiopathic scoliosis, the decision to operate should be based on the degree of scoliosis and growth potential of the patient.  In general, the greater the angle of the scoliosis, the faster its development; meanwhile, a double bend (main thoracic bend + thoracolumbar bend) is more likely to develop than a single bend (main thoracic bend or thoracolumbar bend only). When scoliosis exceeds 40°, its appearance often appears significantly deformed, along with asymmetry of the back on both sides, often requiring surgical orthopedics. Since most idiopathic scoliosis is in women, whose growth accelerates after the onset of menstruation, significant scoliosis that occurs around the onset of menstruation should be treated with surgery as early as possible. If surgery is not performed in a timely manner during the rapid growth period, significant scoliosis can progress to a more severe deformity, affecting the surgical orthopedic outcome and increasing the risk of surgery.