Complications of the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

When making the decision to correct the curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the benefits and potential complications must be considered. This article reviews the more common and serious medical, neurological, and deformity/implant-related complications associated with the surgical correction in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The risk of any operative or post-operative complication is approximately 6%. This overall rate includes less than a 0.05% risk of death, a 1–2% risk of infection, and a 0.5–1% risk of neurological injury. The surgical correction of AIS is a safe and effective procedure in the majority of patients.