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Scoliosis
Idiopathic Scoliosis
Infantile
Figure 1: A front X-ray of a 21-month old girl with a left-sided curve.
After wearing a brace for 3 years, her curve reduced
significantly in size. Her curve remained small four years after
discontinuing her brace.
Infantile scoliosis is classically defined as scoliosis that is first diagnosed in a child between birth and 3 years old.
Congenital scoliosis (malformed and/or connected vertebrae) is also diagnosed during this period. However, these curves are not included in the infantile idiopathic scoliosis category. Many infantile curves will resolve without treatment
(see Figure 1). Those that do not resolve can be difficult to manage. Your scoliosis specialist may suggest a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study to determine if there are any abnormalities of the spinal cord or spinal column. The study is more difficult in small children because sedation or even general anesthesia may be necessary to relax the child enough to obtain good images. Many infantile curves are left-sided curves in the thoracic (chest) area – in contrast to the right-sided curves more common in adolescents. It is more common in boys than girls. In some patients, there is an increased association with hip dysplasia, mental retardation, and congenital heart disease. Many other infants are health and normal and simply have a small curvature of the spine.
