medicine.yale.edu/ortho
Spring 2017 5
Figure 1A 7-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy type 2 with severe curvature of the spine. This young patient cannot be braced due to poor lung status. Spinal muscular atrophy type 2 (SMA II) is an inherited condition that affects the muscles. It is characterized primarily by progressive muscle weakness that develops in children between ages 6 and 12 months. Affected children can sit without support; however, they cannot stand or walk unaided.
Figure 1B Eighteen months later and after four lengthenings this young patient’s spine is significantly straighter and has allowed for improved breathing and lung status