The following is a listing of highly specialized Canadian surgeons who provide complex spine surgery (which involves 3 or more levels of vertebrae) to paediatric patients (under 18 yrs old) with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis AIS and other paediatric spinal deformities and types of scoliosis. The majority of clinicians are paediatric orthopaedic spine surgeons, sub-specialists, who are orthopaedic surgeons who have completed at least one, one year pediatric orthopaedic fellowship in spine deformity or paediatric orthopaedic surgery. beyond their 5 year orthopaedic residency. A tiny minority are Orthopaedic surgeons who have not completed a pediatric orthopaedic fellowship but provide spine surgery and perform as well other orthopaedic joint surgeries. And a third group is neurosurgeons who specialize in paediatric spine deformity surgery. Neurosurgeons typically specialize in minimally invasive surgery, MIS, as do some paediatric orthopaedic surgeons. The majority of these dedicated surgeons hold academic teaching positions and are professors in the faculty of surgery of an university medical school and train young doctors in the affliated children's hospital they practice in. As well, many are involved in clinical research and collaborate in medical clinical studies to improve patient care. For those who belong to the non-profit Canadian Pediatric Spine Society (CPSS), which is a subspecialty group formed from the larger non-profit national Canadian Spine Society, (CSS) reflecting they have extra training and education through completed fellowships, there is a subscript after their name. This also implies they are members of the highly respected international Scoliosis Research Society, (SRS). However, surgeons who do not belong to the CPSS may have equivalent qualifications and have completed fellowships. Parents are encouraged to be proactive and advocate for their child and ensure their child is being referred to the correct specialist, a pediatric spine surgeon/specialist who treats children and youth with scoliosis, referred to as a 'spinal deformity' in the medical community and performs complex spine surgery. Wait times to be seen and wait times for surgery can be an issue in Canada. One can check on the hospital website or your provincial health ministry may provide an online website to report wait times. For an informative list of peer-reviewed evidentiary studies on surgery refer to Links to paediatric spine surgery for AIS , which includes published studies on risks and complications.
Scoliosis clinics that are run by Children's Hospitals offer assessement and referrals to non-surgical conservative care such as scoliosis specific physiotherapy and brace fitting by orthotists, brace makers, that will custom fit your child with a special spinal brace. The clinics can by run by a nurse practitioner or physician, who is specially trained to treat children with scoliosis. Referrals can also be made for surgery if needed.
Note: a referral from your child's family physician, pediatrician or nurse practitioner is necessary in order to receive an appointment with these surgeons and/or hospital Scoliosis clinic. Please ensure to provide any imaging of your child's spine.
member of the Canadian Paediatric Spine Society