A Revolutionary Surgical Procedure

10-year-old Shani Gabai-Rotshtein is thought to be the first person in Israel to undergo a surgical procedure to correct scoliosis without fusing. “This is a revolutionary operation, in terms of both the thinking behind its development and the way in which it was performed,” says Dr. Yoram Anekstein, Head of the spine unit, department of Orthopedics at Shamir Medical Center, who operated on the young patient in collaboration with his departmental colleague, Dr. Oded Rabau.

The surgical procedure is unique for enabling the spine to grow. Moreover, it uses this growth to naturally straighten the spine. Scoliosis operations are typically performed on patients 13 to 14 years old, since fusing the spine can impair growth. Shani's scoliosis was so aggressive that her parents decided to turn to Shamir Medical Center’s Orthopedic Ward: “We heard that the doctors here are creative, daring, and think outside the box.”

At the end of the long operation, Shani was rushed to the intensive care unit, and later transferred to the Orthopedic Ward. A day after the operation, while still in pain, she was assisted by a physiotherapist to sit down. And the next day, she was already allowed to go to the bathroom on her own. The walking distance gradually increased. “She is already at home, under restrictions such as no running, jumping, swimming, and more – still on painkillers, but the trend of improvement is already evident,” says her mother.