Object There are few data on treatment results for patients with idiopathic infantile scoliosis (IIS). Thus, the authors have performed a retrospective review of their experience with treating these patients, particularly as newer technologies, such as the vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR), emerge. Methods This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the methods of treatment used to manage IIS at a single institution. The authors reviewed 31 consecutive patients with a primary diagnosis of IIS. Patients were screened to ensure that there were no confounding congenital anomalies or comorbidities that may have contributed to the spinal deformity. The average age at the time of initial treatment was 25 months. Treatment modalities included bracing, serial body casting, and VEPTR. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and most recent Cobb angles were compared to assess the overall curve correction, and patient charts were reviewed for the occurrence of complications. Results Of the 31 patients, 17 were treated with a brace, 9 of whom had curve progression and went on to other forms of treatment. Of the 8 who did respond, there was an overall improvement of 51.2%. The 10 patients who received body casts, who had a mean preoperative Cobb angle of 50.4°, demonstrated an average correction of 59.0%, with only a few skin irritations reported. The 10 patients treated with VEPTR devices demonstrated a mean preoperative Cobb angle of 90.0°, and an average correction of 33.8% was attained. Three of the VEPTR-treated patients (33%) experienced minor problems. Conclusions The authors' results suggest that body casting has utility for appropriately selected patients; that is, those with smaller, flexible spinal curves. Bracing had limited utility, with high levels of progression and the need for secondary treatments. The VEPTR device appears to be a viable alternative for large-magnitude curves.

Background: Uncertain validity of epilepsy diagnoses within health insurance claims and other large datasets have. hindered efforts to study and monitor care at the population level.Objectives: To develop and validate prediction models using longitudinal Medicare administrative data to identify patients with actual epilepsy amongst those with the diagnosis. Research Design, Subjects, Measures:We used linked electronic health records (EHR) and Medicare administrative data including claims to predict epilepsy status. A neurologist reviewed EHR data to assess epilepsy status in a stratified random sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ years between 01/2012-12/2014. We then reconstructed the full sample using inverse

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of ICD-10-CM claims-based definitions for epilepsy and classifying seizure types in the outpatient setting. Methods:We reviewed electronic health records (EHR) for a cohort of adults aged 18+ years seen by six neurologists who had an outpatient visit at a level 4 epilepsy center between 01/2019-09/2019. The neurologists used a standardized documentation template to capture the diagnosis of epilepsy (yes/no/unsure), seizure type (focal/generalized/unknown), and seizure frequency in the EHR. Using linked ICD-10-CM codes assigned by the provider, we assessed the accuracy of claims-based definitions for epilepsy, focal seizure type, and generalized seizure type against the reference-standard EHR documentation by estimating sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV).

Scoliosis should be no more intimidating to manage than acute otitis media. This article reviews how to treat patients with the condition before and after referral to a specialist.