Scoliosis correction straightens and stabilises a sideways, rotated curve of the spine. The standard operation is posterior spinal fusion: screws are fixed into the vertebrae, two rods are shaped and attached to pull the spine straighter, and bone graft makes the instrumented section heal into one solid block.
Surgery stops a large curve from progressing and typically corrects 50 to 70 percent of it, improving trunk balance and the rib hump. It does not give a perfectly straight spine, and the fused section no longer bends. Most curves never need it: observation and bracing manage the majority of adolescents.
What Scoliosis Correction Surgery involves
Planning uses full-length standing X-rays, bending films and often MRI. Under general anaesthesia you lie face down and the surgeon opens the back along the curve. Pedicle screws are inserted at planned levels using anatomical landmarks, navigation or a robot guide. Facet joints are released to loosen the curve, and rods are attached and rotated or translated to correct the deformity while spinal cord signals are monitored continuously. If the signals fall, correction is relaxed. Bone graft is laid over the prepared surfaces. Blood salvage and tranexamic acid limit blood loss.
Who is a good candidate for Scoliosis Correction Surgery?
The threshold is set by curve size measured as the Cobb angle, remaining growth and, in adults, symptoms.
- Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with a curve above about 45 to 50 degrees
- Curves that progress despite proper brace wear
- Adults with curve progression, nerve compression or disabling imbalance after conservative care
- Neuromuscular or congenital curves affecting sitting or lung function, in specialist units
It is usually not the right choice if:
- Curves under 40 degrees in adolescents, which are observed or braced
- Adults whose only complaint is mild back pain with a stable curve
- Severe osteoporosis or poor heart and lung reserve
- Families unable to return for or arrange structured follow-up
- Requests driven by appearance alone with a small curve
الخيارات التقنية
- Posterior spinal fusion: The standard for most curves.
- Vertebral body tethering: A flexible cord on the front of the spine that guides growth in selected growing children. Preserves motion, but long-term data are limited and re-operation is more frequent.
- Growing rods, including magnetic rods: For young children with early-onset scoliosis, lengthened over time.
- Osteotomies: Bone cuts for stiff or severe adult curves; they raise risk.
- Anterior fusion: Used for some thoracolumbar curves to save levels.
ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك
Surgery takes 4 to 8 hours. You wake with a catheter, drains and strong pain relief, often in a high-dependency unit for the first night. Standing and walking begin on day 1 or 2 with physiotherapists. Adolescents usually stay 4 to 7 days; adults longer.
الإعداد لرحلتك
Plan for 2 to 3 weeks in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.
- Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
- Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
- Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
- Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly
التعافي والنتائج
Stay 2 to 3 weeks in the city before flying. School or desk work resumes at 4 to 6 weeks. Swimming and light exercise start around 3 months, and contact sport at 6 to 12 months if the surgeon agrees. Fusion consolidates over a year. X-rays are needed at about 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years; these can be taken at home and reviewed remotely, but have a local spine surgeon willing to see you if problems arise.
- Back to everyday activity: 4 to 6 weeks to school; 6 to 12 months to full sport
- When results show: Immediately on standing
- How long they last: Permanent
سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح
This is among the larger planned orthopaedic operations. Adult deformity surgery carries markedly higher complication rates than adolescent surgery.
- Spinal cord or nerve injury; permanent paralysis is rare, well under 1 in 100 in adolescent idiopathic cases
- Significant blood loss needing transfusion
- Deep infection, sometimes late
- Non-union with rod breakage
- Screw misplacement
- Residual shoulder or trunk imbalance
- Degeneration above or below the fusion in later decades
- Lung and bowel complications in the first days
Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.
Cost of Scoliosis Correction Surgery in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Scoliosis Correction Surgery, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- Number of levels and implants
- Neuromonitoring, navigation or robotics
- Intensive care and ward days
- Complex adult cases needing osteotomies or staged surgery
- Length of stay for patient and accompanying parent
Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
الأسئلة المتكررة
Will my child grow taller?
Correction usually adds 2 to 5 cm straight away. The fused section stops growing, which matters little after the growth spurt.
Will the metal be removed?
No, unless it causes a problem.
Can bracing avoid surgery?
For curves of 25 to 40 degrees in a growing child, a well-worn brace lowers the chance of reaching surgery. It cannot reverse a large curve.
Is pregnancy possible later?
Yes. Fusion does not prevent pregnancy or normal delivery, though epidurals may be harder.