Objective:To examine the effect of surgical tethered cord release (TCR) on scoliosis in children with myelomeningocele. Methods: A retrospective review of 65 pediatric patients with myelomeningocele and TCR. The final sample consisted of 20 patients with scoliosis who were managed conservatively after TCR. Results: Average age at TCR was 6.2 years with average follow-up of 3.8 years. Scoliosis of 1 (5%) patient improved, 7 (35%) were stable, and 12 (60%) worsened (≥10°). Fifty percent of patients ultimately required definitive spinal surgery. TCR release delayed definitive spine surgery for an average of 3.2 years. Sixty-four percent of patients with curves less than or equal to 45° had progression of their curves compared to 50% with curves greater than 45°. For patients with curves less than or equal to 45°, curves progressed in 80% of those younger than 10 years as compared to 25% of those older than 10 years. For patients with curves less than or equal to 45°, 43% required definitive spine surgery as opposed to 83% with curves greater than 45°. Level of neurological involvement (ie, lumbar versus thoracic) and age at untethering emerged as factors influencing the effects of TCR for patients with curves less than or equal to 45°. Lumbar curves had more favorable results. Conclusion: Pediatric patients with myelomeningocele and scoliosis should be closely assessed and monitored. A selective approach for youth with lumbosacral level myelomeningocele and progressive curves less than or equal to 45° may result in scoliosis stabilization and avoidance of definitive surgery.

Past research has found a relationship between the mental health of parental caregivers and their children with spinal cord injury (SCI), but little is known about how other aspects of caregiver health and functioning impact health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of youth. The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of caregiver mental health, physical health, burden, and problem-solving skills in relation to children's physical and psychosocial HRQOL. Forty youths with SCI ages 7 to 17 years completed the PedsQL; primary caregivers completed standardized measures of mental and physical health, burden, and problem solving. We evaluated 2 hierarchical linear regression models predicting children's physical and psychosocial HRQOL. The 40 youths were an average of 11.48 years ( = 3.21), 62.5% were male, and 80% Caucasian. They had been injured an average of 6.90 years ( = 3.92); 75% had paraplegia, and 61.5% had complete injuries. Most caregivers were mothers (85%), were married (60%), and had at least some college education (87.5%). Univariate analyses revealed that caregiver problem solving alone was related to children's physical HRQOL, and caregiver mental health, burden, and problem solving were related to children's psychosocial HRQOL. Regression analyses controlling for child age and injury level revealed effective caregiver problem solving ( < .01) was significantly related to greater child physical (Model = 0.440) and psychosocial (Model = 0.547) HRQOL. Although relationships should be explored longitudinally with larger samples, results indicate caregiver problem solving may be a reasonable target for intervention to improve HRQOL among youth with SCI.

Objective: Examine psychosocial outcomes of youth with spinal cord injury (SCI) as a function of neurological level (paraplegia/tetraplegia) and severity (American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS)). Design: Survey research. Setting: Three pediatric SCI specialty centers in the USA. Participants: Youth with SCI ages 5-18 with neurological impairment classifications of: tetraplegia AIS ABC (tetraplegia ABC), paraplegia AIS ABC (paraplegia ABC), or AIS D. Outcome Measures: Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Children's Depression Inventory. Results: Three hundred and forty youth participated; 57% were male; 60% were Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, 7% African-American, 2% Native American, and 3% reported "other". Their mean age was 8.15 years (standard deviation (SD) = 5.84) at injury and 13.18 years (SD = 3.87) at interview. Ninety-six youth (28%) had tetraplegia ABC injuries, 191 (56%) paraplegia ABC injuries, and 53 (16%) AIS D injuries. Neurological impairment was significantly related to participation and quality of life (QOL). Specifically, youth with paraplegia ABC and AIS D injuries participated in more activities than youth with tetraplegia ABC (P = 0.002; P = 0.018, respectively) and youth with paraplegia ABC participated more often than youth with tetraplegia ABC (P = 0.006). Youth with paraplegia ABC reported higher social QOL than youth with tetraplegia ABC (P = 0.001) and AIS D injuries (P = 0.002). Groups did not differ regarding mental health. Conclusion: Interventions should target youth with tetraplegia ABC, as they may need support in terms of participation, and both youth with tetraplegia ABC and AIS D injuries in terms of social integration.