Scoliosis Curvature Follows Thoracic Organ Orientation

Congenital scoliosis associated with total situs inversus: A rare case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Situs inversus totalis is a rare congenital abnormality characterized by a mirror-image transposition of both the abdominal and the thoracic organs. Vertebral anomalies causing congenital scoliosis are classified on the basis of failures of formation, segmentation, or both. The hallmark of surgical treatment is early intervention before the development of large curvatures. The surgical treatment of a congenital deformity mandates the use of neurological monitoring to minimize the risk of perioperative neurological deficit.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a 21-year-old patient who was admitted for her scoliosis deformity correction. Complaints of back pain when standing for a long time and carrying heavy loads for too long. Her systemic examination revealed the apex cardiac beat on the right side, liver dullness on the left side, and rib hump deformity.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Congenital scoliosis is the most frequent congenital deformity of the spine. Congenital curvatures are due to anomalous development of the vertebrae (failure of formation and/or segmentation). Congenital scoliosis is believed to be related to an insult to the fetus during spine embryological development and associated malformations. In our case, the X-ray showed that the cardiac apex, spleen, stomach, and aorta were present on the right side, and the larger liver lobe and inferior vena cava were noted on the left side. Thus, the image manifestations supported the diagnosis of situs inversus totalis.

CONCLUSION

Corrective surgery with osteotomy could be a safe and effective for the treatment of scoliosis associated with situs inversus totalis.

The orthopedic characterization of cfap298tm304 mutants validate zebrafish to faithfully model human AIS

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation relies on the beating of motile cilia projecting in the lumen of the brain and spinal cord cavities Mutations in genes involved in cilia motility disturb cerebrospinal fluid circulation and result in scoliosis-like deformities of the spine in juvenile zebrafish. However, these defects in spine alignment have not been validated with clinical criteria used to diagnose adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The aim of this study was to describe, using orthopaedic criteria the spinal deformities of a zebrafish mutant model of AIS targeting a gene involved in cilia polarity and motility, cfap298tm304. The zebrafish mutant line cfap298tm304, exhibiting alteration of CSF flow due to defective cilia motility, was raised to the juvenile stage. The analysis of mutant animals was based on micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), which was conducted in a QUANTUM FX CALIPER, with a 59 µm-30 mm protocol. 63% of the cfap298tm304 zebrafish analyzed presented a three-dimensional deformity of the spine, that was evolutive during the juvenile phase, more frequent in females, with a right convexity, a rotational component and involving at least one dislocation. We confirm here that cfap298tm304 scoliotic individuals display a typical AIS phenotype, with orthopedic criteria mirroring patient's diagnosis.