- S L Liu: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Division of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Springfield 62794-9230.
Forty-two consecutive patients with scoliosis who between 1981 and 1988 underwent posterior Harrington distraction rod and interspinous process or sublaminar wiring were retrospectively reviewed. No difference was found between the techniques with respect to age, sex, curve pattern, curve magnitude, levels fused, operative time, blood loss, correction, and loss of correction at the 1-year and 2-year follow-up. The interspinous process wiring was superior to the sublaminar wiring as regards ease of technique, early ambulation, few complications, and a more effective means for maintaining the correction without postoperative immobilization.