An intraoperative laterally placed distractor for gradual load sharing correction of severe spastic neuromuscular spinal deformity.

Purpose: To analyze the overall deformity correction for severe neuromuscular scoliosis using laterally placed intra-operative distraction and compare to those receiving standard surgical technique.

Methods: This was a retrospective, IRB-approved, cohort study of patients with GMFCS 4 or 5 spastic cerebral palsy with neuromuscular scoliosis, age greater than 10 years, who underwent posterior spinal fusion from 2007 to 2019. All patients had vectored cervical traction with Gardner-Wells tongs, with hips flexed in a relative sitting position.