Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment are the core of successful treatment with Mehta’s Growth Guidance Casting (MGGC) for one simple reason.
The human body grows at an unbelievably rapid rate during the first two years of life. This growth rate will never be experienced again during human development, and it acts as the corrective force that allows spines affected with progressive infantile scoliosis (PIS) to actually grow straight three dimensionally. MGGC casts address spinal curves in terms of elongation, derotation and flexion.
The mushroom-shaped window that identifies a Mehta cast is a vital key to your baby’s future health because:
It allows them to breathe normally and fully
It accommodates their developing heart, lungs and internal organs
The human body grows at an incredibly rapid rate during the first two years of life and MGGC casts are meant to work WITH this growth, never to impede it!
The widely trimmed, mushroom-shaped window is a chest expansion window that prevents chest wall
deformities caused by Risser style casts. Ribs are flexible prior to the age of two, and the rib flaps of this important opening prevent permanent rib flaring.
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MGGC is a gentle, conservative, and perhaps most importantly, non-invasive treatment option to
address the three dimensional curves of progressive infantile scoliosis. There are no side effects or
lingering complications when MGGC protocols are applied by a surgeon who has received specialized
training.
This sharply contrasts the complication rates for surgery and implantation of distraction hardware (rods,
etc), which requires numerous and repeated surgeries and involves a complication rate that is quite
high. It is important to keep in mind that these are babies and they are experiencing the rapid growth
that sets up their future health and life. Surgery is the last resort, not the first.
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As a nonprofit program, ISOP dedicates its resources to families affected by progressive
infantile scoliosis (PIS), training physicians in the Early Treatment Protocol and growing the availability of MGGC worldwide. This is possible thanks to your donations and the generosity of ISOP sponsors.
While all physician’s are familiar with the basics of casts and casting, Mehta’s Growth Guidance Casting
(MGGC) is a specialized procedure that requires a specific type of frame and a surgeon who has been
trained in the protocol. Your child’s surgeon may not be familiar with MGGC. Please refer her or him to
ISOP’s website for resources and access to specialized training.
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Once it is determined that your child has scoliosis, determining the exact type is next. There are several types of scoliosis that affect infants.
Progressive Infantile Scoliosis
Diagnosed from birth to age 2
Considered a non-structural type of scoliosis
Congenital Scoliosis
A structural issue of the vertebrae present at birth
Examples are hemivertebrae, chiari malformation, syringomeyelia, tethered cord
By definition, progressive scoliosis will not resolve without medical intervention, so watching and waiting could result in permanent changes to your child’s spine. Early Treatment is vital because your baby is growing so quickly.
Back to Frequently Asked Questions for Parents
Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment are at the core of successful treatment with Mehta’s Growth
Guidance Casting (MGGC) for one simple reason. The human body grows at an unbelievably rapid rate
during the first two years of life. This growth rate will never be experienced again during a human’s
development.
This rapid growth rate is the corrective force that allows spines affected with progressive infantile
scoliosis (PIS) to actually grow straight.
Back to Frequently Asked Questions for Parents
My child would have faced severe deformity or a very early and painful death, if not for the work of the ISOP. Dr. Min Mehta’s method of early treatment for Infantile Scoliosis is directly responsible for saving my son. The ISOP needs funding so that all children diagnosed with this condition can get this life saving treatment.
Thousands of babies and young children around the world currently have this condition, and very few doctors are trained to treat it. This is literally a cure, for the most difficult orthopedic condition to treat in very young children. EDF casting is a non-surgical, safe and inexpensive treatment, but a very small percentage of the medical community even knows it exists. This grant will help get the word out to the medical community, train more doctors, and immediately begin saving babies lives.
