Major impingement of vertebral screws on the aorta caused acute and chronic histopathologic and biomechanical changes in the vessel wall. This model represents a severe form of vessel penetration by a screw that confirms such a "worst case" scenario results in marked compromise of the vessel wall integrity. The sequelae of less severe impingement are unknown.

Given adequate bony fixation, a flexible lateral spinal tether can affect growth modulation. This technique of growth modulation may serve as a future fusionless method of correction in a growing patient with scoliosis.

No abstract