Fig. 2
A 13-year-old girl with right thoracic dystrophic scoliosis secondary to NF-1 received surgical treatment in our institution. A The preoperative Cobb angle of thoracic curve was 55° with 7th rib head dislocation and the vertebral translation (VT) of T7 was 28.5 mm B and C. The preoperative CT and MRI scans revealed the 7th rib head penetrating the foramen and compressing the dural sac but not the spinal cord. The intraspinal rib length (IRL) reached 10.3 mm and the T7 showed a notable rib-vertebral angle (RVA) of 70°. D Posterior-only spinal fusion without rib head excision was performed, and pedicle screw was inserted at the level of dislocated rib. The Cobb angle was corrected to 24° postoperatively. E A good degree of rib head withdrawal was confirmed by post-operative CT scans. The IRL, RVA and VT were corrected to 2.8 mm, 57° and 13.5 mm postoperatively