Members from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children’s orthopedic and research teams are in Lisbon, Portugal attending the 12^th International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis (ICEOS) meeting. This annual conference brings together orthopedic surgeons, trainees, researchers and other medical professionals to discuss the latest techniques in caring for patients diagnosed with early onset scoliosis (EOS).

ICEOS is an educational component of the Growing Spine Foundation (GSF) – a medical organization including doctors and researchers from around the globe interested in advancing the care of EOS patients. Staff from Scottish Rite Hospital are members in this group and are an integral part of finding innovative treatment techniques for this patient population. Assistant Chief of Staff Emeritus Charles E. Johnston, M.D., is one of the authors for the research published by the Growing Spine Study Group (GSSG) that has been selected for the 2018 Behrooz A. Akbarnia Award for best paper. This project analyzes the surgical and health related quality of life outcomes for patients with severe versus moderate early onset scoliosis who have completed their growing rod treatment.

Medical Director of Ambulatory Care Brandon Ramo, M.D., pediatric orthopedic surgeon Amy L. McIntosh, M.D., and Johnston are all faculty members for the 2018 ICEOS meeting. Throughout the conference, they are serving as moderators, participating in debates, presenting original research papers and involved in workshops regarding various topics on early onset scoliosis. The hospital’s latest research on infantile onset scoliosis has been selected for presentation.

“The ICEOS meeting gives our staff the opportunity to learn from specialists across the country about this complex condition,” says Ramo. “It provides focused discussions, collaborations and gives our team the ability to share our research on an international stage. Like many of the medical conferences attended throughout the year, we are hopeful that by coming together we will continue to advance how we care for patients diagnosed with early onset scoliosis.”

Learn more about the research conducted in our Center for Excellence in Spine.