Congenital lordosis and lordoscoliosis: state of the problem (literature review)

Abstract

Introduction Congenital lordosis is a severe deformity of the spine in the sagittal plane, which develops due to malformation and segmentation of the dorsal part of the vertebrae and normal growth of the ventral part. The most common nosological variant of the defect is lordoscoliotic deformity of the thoracic spine, which often occurs due to syndromic defects (spondylocostal dysostosis) and systemic diseases of the musculoskeletal system (arthrogryposis). Along with the vertebral syndrome, the pathological complex in congenital lordosis of the thoracic or thoracolumbar spine includes thoracic insufficiency syndrome, which in the overwhelming cases leads to the development of respiratory failure caused by bronchial obstruction. The purpose of the study is to summarize information and analyze literature data on a rare pathology of the spine, which is clinically manifested by the formation of thoracic lordosis due to congenital anomaly in the development of the vertebrae. Materials and methods An analysis of the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital lordosis and lordoscoliosis in children was carried out. The depth of the search was more than 100 years. Inclusion criteria: presence of lordotic deformity of the thoracic, cervicothoracic or thoracolumbar spine. Results and discussion Respiratory failure in this group of patients develops due to reduction in the anteroposterior size of the chest (an increase in the chest penetration index), a decrease in the height of the thoracic spine, changes in the mechanics of rib movements, bronchial obstruction, worsening ventilation and perfusion on the convex side of the deformity. The leading component of disability and impairment of the quality of life of patients is respiratory failure syndrome. A decrease in lung function, primarily due to reduction in VC, is directly proportional to the magnitude of the deformation of the spine and chest. Surgical correction of spinal and chest deformity is the main component of treatment for this group of patients. Surgical treatment consists in the mandatory multilevel mobilization of all three columns of the spine (preferably combined access) and bilateral resection of the ribs to reduce chest rigidity. Postoperative respiratory support is critical in respiratory failure. Conclusion Congenital spinal deformities in the form of thoracic lordosis and lordoscoliosis are extremely rare. The key aspects of treatment are the fight against respiratory failure and the selective choice of surgical technologies for deformity correction with a trend towards simultaneity of interventions. The literature review confirmed the insufficient knowledge on the issues of this pathology.

Keywords

• congenital lordosis
• lordoscoliosis
• children
• congenital deformity of the spine