Spinal Deformity Surgery in Prepubertal Children with Complex Vertebral Malformations: A Single-Center Case Series

Daniyar Zh. Yestay, Seidali S. Abdaliyev, Sergei Valentinovich Vissarionov, Dina Saginova, Serik Zh. Serikov, Alexandr Yu. Chsherbina, Daulet Baitov, Olzhas Bekarissov

2026

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DOI 10.52889/1684-9280-2026-77-2-jto049
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Congenital spinal deformities in prepubertal children are heterogeneous, progressive, and frequently accompanied by associated anomalies, making surgical planning challenging.Objective:To describe the radiographic and clinical characteristics of a single-center series of surgically treated prepubertal children with complex vertebral malformations.Case Presentation.This retrospective descriptive case series included 12 children who underwent surgery between 2019 and 2023 at a tertiary referral center. Demographic variables, deformity pattern, associated anomalies, number of surgeries and hospitalizations, and radiographic parameters were reviewed. All patients underwent posterior correction and fusion using predominantly transpedicular instrumentation; growth-friendly techniques were not used. Primary outcomes were pre-to postoperative changes in scoliosis Cobb angle and, where paired data were available, kyphosis angle.The mean age at first surgery was 9.2 ± 1.6 years (range, 7–11). The mean scoliosis Cobb angle improved from 30.8° ± 12.1° preoperatively to 9.4° ± 8.8° at the latest postoperative follow-up, corresponding to a mean reduction of 21.3° and a 69.2% reduction based on group means. Eight of the 12 patients achieved >50% coronal correction. Kyphosis measurements were numerically available in 6 patients preoperatively and as paired postoperative values in 5; in this paired subgroup, mean kyphosis improved from 49.5° ±30.3° to 23.0° ± 15.4°, corresponding to a mean reduction of 26.5°. Associated anomalies or syndromic conditions were documented in 6 patients (50.0%). The mean number of surgeries was 1.5 ± 0.5 per patient, and the mean number of hospitalizations was 2.2± 1.1. No major neurological deficits or deep infectious complications were documented in the available records.Conclusions.In this case series, posterior surgical correction for complex congenital spinal deformities in prepubertal children provided substantial coronal correction, clinically meaningful sagittal improvement in patients with available paired measurements, and a moderate treatment burden.Keywords:congenital spinal deformity, case series, prepubertal children, vertebral malformations, spinal surgery, scoliosis, kyphoscoliosis.