Titanium Rib

PHILADELPHIA (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Children born with spinal or chest wall deformities face many serious health risks, including premature death. Now, an experimental surgery gives these kids a new lease on life.

Kathy and Chris Hayes are thankful for every move Abby makes. When Abby was born, the right side of her spine and her chest wall were not growing.

"If we didn't do anything, she could develop lung problems, because the lung wouldn't be allowed to grow normally if that side of her body wasn't growing the way it should," Kathy tells Ivanhoe.

After meeting with countless specialists, the Hayes were referred to spine surgeon Randal Betz, M.D., of Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. He told them Abby was an ideal candidate for an experimental device called the titanium rib.

"The titanium rib is an expandable prosthesis that's made out of titanium," Dr. Betz says. "It fixates to either a rib or parts of the spine, and it's to correct chest wall deformities or a spinal deformity. "

The titanium rib expands the rib cage and straightens the spines of children like Abby.

"Prior to this device being available, the only treatment would have been to fuse her spine, and she would have ended up with a chest cavity the size of a 1-year-old or a newborn," Dr. Betz says.

After the initial implant, surgery is performed every four months to six months to lengthen the rib device as the child grows. When the child is done growing, this step is no longer needed. It heals, and then the child will not need anything else done for the rest of his or her life.

Abby's father, Chris, says, "Abby's future is bright. The surgery was a success, and she's going to be a normal-growing child."

Shriners hospital for children is one of the seven sites in the United States participating in a study to evaluate the titanium rib. All treatment at Shriners is provided at no cost to families.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Terry Diamond
Director of Public Relations
Shriners Hospital for Children
3351 North Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19140
(800) 281-4050
tdiamond@shrinenet.org
http://www.shrinershq.org