Introduction <p>In idiopathic scoliosis, the psychological and social effects of bracing can be difficult, thus clinicians sometimes recommend a brace holiday when the curve drops below 25°. While the Scoliosis Research Society has reached a consensus on bracing indications and duration, there is little evidence regarding outcomes from taking a break from bracing prior to skeletal maturity. We hypothesized there would be no relationship between taking a brace holiday and final primary curve.</p> Materials and methods <p>A retrospective cohort study at a single institution was performed for idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with a brace whose primary curve corrected to below 25° from 2016 to 2022. Objective bracing compliance I-button data was collected on patients aged 3 – 18&#xa0;years old at the time of brace presentation. Patients with neuromuscular and syndromic etiologies of scoliosis and those ineligible for a brace holiday were excluded. Univariate analyses were performed as appropriate.</p> Results <p>34 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 16 received a brace holiday (18 did not). At most recent follow up, primary curve size did not differ between those who received a brace holiday (23.1 ± 12.6°) and those who did not (21.7 ± 6.1°) (<i>p</i> = 0.772). Brace holidays lasted on average 17.8 ± 10.7&#xa0;months, occurring at a mean age 10.6 ± 1.5&#xa0;years in patients with a mean primary curve of 14.9 ± 3.6° at the beginning of the holiday. The mean age for patients who resumed bracing (<i>n</i> = 12) was 12.0 ± 0.9&#xa0;years, at a mean primary curve of 29.3 ± 4.1°, with a most recent mean primary curve of 26.4 ± 12.4°.</p> Conclusion <p>This study demonstrates that select younger patients who take a brace holiday may not have clinically relevant differences in final primary curve magnitude compared to standard-of-care adolescents. This work offers evidence that can be valuable in the productive dialogue with families on the risks and benefits of a brace holiday.</p> Level of evidence <p>III.</p>

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Evaluating brace holiday outcomes in idiopathic scoliosis

  • Nathan Chaclas,
  • Julianna Lee,
  • Lucas Hauth,
  • Katerina M. Kourpas,
  • Vineet Desai,
  • David VanEenenaam,
  • John M. Flynn

摘要

Introduction

In idiopathic scoliosis, the psychological and social effects of bracing can be difficult, thus clinicians sometimes recommend a brace holiday when the curve drops below 25°. While the Scoliosis Research Society has reached a consensus on bracing indications and duration, there is little evidence regarding outcomes from taking a break from bracing prior to skeletal maturity. We hypothesized there would be no relationship between taking a brace holiday and final primary curve.

Materials and methods

A retrospective cohort study at a single institution was performed for idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with a brace whose primary curve corrected to below 25° from 2016 to 2022. Objective bracing compliance I-button data was collected on patients aged 3 – 18 years old at the time of brace presentation. Patients with neuromuscular and syndromic etiologies of scoliosis and those ineligible for a brace holiday were excluded. Univariate analyses were performed as appropriate.

Results

34 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 16 received a brace holiday (18 did not). At most recent follow up, primary curve size did not differ between those who received a brace holiday (23.1 ± 12.6°) and those who did not (21.7 ± 6.1°) (p = 0.772). Brace holidays lasted on average 17.8 ± 10.7 months, occurring at a mean age 10.6 ± 1.5 years in patients with a mean primary curve of 14.9 ± 3.6° at the beginning of the holiday. The mean age for patients who resumed bracing (n = 12) was 12.0 ± 0.9 years, at a mean primary curve of 29.3 ± 4.1°, with a most recent mean primary curve of 26.4 ± 12.4°.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that select younger patients who take a brace holiday may not have clinically relevant differences in final primary curve magnitude compared to standard-of-care adolescents. This work offers evidence that can be valuable in the productive dialogue with families on the risks and benefits of a brace holiday.

Level of evidence

III.