Preserving Pulmonary Function in Mini Open Thoracoscopic Assisted Vertebral Body Tethering

Thursday, June 1, 2023

8:30 AM – 6:15 PM

Location: Salons 7-8

Co-Author(s)

CM

Camryn Myers, BA

Research Fellow
NYU Langone, United States
AD

Abel De Varona-Cocero, BA

Research Fellow
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States
FA

Fares Ani, MD

Research Fellow
NYU Langone Health
Holmdel, New Jersey, United States
CM

Constance Maglaras, PhD

Research Scientist
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States

Co-Author(s)

JR

Juan Rodriguez-Olaverri, MD, PhD

Director of Pediatric Spinal Deformity Surgery and Early Onset Scoliosis
NYU Langone Health, United States

View E-Poster

Presenting Author (Person doing the Podium Present(s)

FA

Fares Ani, MD

Research Fellow
NYU Langone Health
Holmdel, New Jersey, United States

Disclosure(s):

Fares Ani, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Introduction: There are two ways to approach the spine in vertebral body tethering. Mini open thoracoscopic assisted and thoracoscopic. This study focuses on preoperative and 2-year follow-up pulmonary function tests for mini-open thoracoscopic assisted vertebral body tethering surgical cases. Currently, there is evidence that pulmonary function does not decrease in a thoracoscopic approach. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence that mini open thoracoscopic assisted VBT surgery also maintains pulmonary function at two years follow-up.

Aims/

Objectives: To demonstrate that mini-open thoracoscopic assisted vertebral body tethering (VBT) maintains pulmonary function at two-year follow-up.

Methods: A single-center retrospective review of patients who underwent mini-open thoracoscopic assisted VBT surgery. Preoperative and 2 year follow-up pulmonary function tests were performed in order to assess the pulmonary risks of VBT. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV1), forced expiratory flow during the middle half of the FVC (FEF25-75%), peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory time (FET200%), forced inspiratory vital capacity (FIVC), total lung capacity (TLC), vital capacity (VC), and respiratory volume (RV) were the pulmonary function tests used to measure pulmonary function. T-tests were used to determine the statistical significance of the preoperative and two-year postoperative pulmonary outcomes

Results: 114 patients who underwent mini-open thoracoscopic assisted VBT surgery were included in this study. Pulmonary outcomes analysis revealed there was no significant decrease from preoperative to postoperative pulmonary function: FVC predicted (3.51 v 3.53, p=0.92), FVC Pre (3.01 v 3.02, p=0.933), FEV1 Predicted (3.11 v 3.27, p=0.349), FEV1 Pre (2.55 v 2.48, p=0.667), FEV1/FVC Predicted (88.34 v 88.88, p=0.604), FEV1/FVC Pre (77.32 v 84.89, p=0.148), FEF25-75 Predicted (3.64 v 3.81, p=0.494), FEF25-75 Pre (2.57 v 2.59, p=0.919), ISOFEF25-75% Pre (2.65 v 2.79, p=0.822), FEF75-85% Pre (1.41 v 1.36, p=0.93), PEF Predicted (6.21 v 6.79, p-0.145), PEF Pre (5.42 v 5.24, p-0.737), FET100% Pre (6.13 v 6.23, p=0.915), FIVC Predicted (3.3 v 3.32, p=0.963), FIVC Pre (2.72 v 2.2, p=0.073), TLC (4.29 v 5.56, p-0.233), VC (3.93 v 3.19, p-0.781), RV (0.76 v 1.31, p-0.258).

Conclusions: Mini open thoracoscopic assisted vertebral body tethering maintains pulmonary function outcomes from baseline to two-year follow-up. This can be another approach option for vertebral body tethering surgery.