I am a 25-year old with moderate scoliosis. I’m always trying to keep up with treatment for scoliosis. What can you tell me about the new titanium cages to fuse the spine for this condition?

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that occurs most commonly in older children and teenagers. It can be mild to severe with a range of treatment options. Patients with mild cases may not need any treatment, whereas severe scoliosis often requires surgery to fuse the spine.

In the past, the spine was fused using steel rods on one or both sides of the vertebrae. Since 1995, titanium mesh cages have been used for fusions in scoliosis. These cages are inserted between the bones in the disk space. The disk is an oval-shaped gel-pad between each bone of the spine. It gives support and cushions the spine.

The cages aren’t used alone in fusion for scoliosis. Either a single or dual rods are still placed alongside the spine. The cages give interbody support that increases the “stiffness” of the spine.