Operative Treatment of Scoliosis with the Harrington Instrumentation Technique

Preliminary results of treatment of scoliosis with the Harrington instrumentation technique in 80 patients are presented. The curve correction at operation averaged 43.4% with the best results being achieved in idiopathic single curves (49.3%). Most of the patients had been treated conservatively for a long time prior to operation, and the curves were rather stiff. The initial loss of correction was 3.2 degrees, and the overall loss at 2 years postoperatively averaged 6.5 degrees in 28 patients. Complications occurred in 22.5% of the patients, most often at the upper hook site. Serious complications were rare. It is concluded that the Harrington instrumentation technique is an effective means of treatment of scoliosis.