Indication for surgical treatment in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis – a critical appraisal and counter-point

In a recent letter to the editor (Patient Saf. Surg. 2013, 7:17), Weiss and Moramarco made the claim that surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis is not supported based on the available literature citing no medical indication and high complication rates as compared to non-operative management. In this letter we show that there is a role for surgical treatment as the only predictable option to obtain correction of a curve and that the risk of complications with newer instrumentation does not approach 50% as cited by Weiss and Moramarco. We share the opinion with Weiss and Moramarco that a decision for surgery is not one to be made lightly, and should include options of purely observation, bracing, as well as surgery depending on the potential progression profile and conversations with the child and parents.