Paper #26: Hemoglobin Levels Pre- and Post-Treatment as a Surrogate for Disease Severity in Early Onset Scoliosis

The purpose of this study was to prospectively 1) quantify the prevalence of elevated HgB in patients with EOS who require surgery and 2) quantify the response of HgB levels to treatment. HgB laboratory values were prospectively collected in a multicenter database prior to initial implantation and following surgery at 6, 12, and 18 months. Patients with elevated HgB before surgery respond differently to VEPTR and GR implantation than those with non-elevated HgB, but appear to eventually have similar results.