Figure 12

The Cheneauisation of the Sforzesco brace. We used the term Cheneauisation to underline that it derives from the contamination of our own brace with the internationally well-known Cheneau brace: in fact it aims at posturally changing the scoliosis curve through a thrust at level of the convexity of the apical proximal curve and an elevation/medialization of the shoulder at the concave side. Due to our own SPoRT principles the Cheneuization also includes an anteposition of this same shoulder. First line, from left to right: (A) x-rays of the patient at start of treatment (12/07), (B) after 6 months (6/08), (C) in-brace without Cheneuization (4/09); (D) in-brace with Cheneuization (5/09), (E) in-brace with Cheneuization after two months of treatment (7/09). Second line: graph of x-rays measurements. Third line, from left to right: (F) the first brace used; the brace trial: (G) without Cheneuization; (H) with Cheneuization; (I) the brace with Cheneuization at time of the 7/09 x-ray. This is the first situation in which we used the Cheneuization due to the absence of correction in a patient with an high-degree scoliosis refusing surgery, and presenting with a curve possibly responding to such a change. We then made two braces and compared their results with in-brace x-rays, with favorable results for the Chenuization (5/09), that was even increase by time and brace corrections (7/09). The final out-of-brace progression of scoliosis (1/10) was due to a sudden decrease on brace usage that this specific patient suffered.