A team of researchers compared the effects of Milwaukee and Chêneau braces in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) presenting with thoracic curve apices above T7/T8. The authors noted that current expert recommendations generally limit use of the Chêneau brace to thoracic curves with an apex below T7/T8.
In the prospective comparative study, 52 adolescents with AIS (12 males and 40 females) with curve apices above the T7/T8 level were treated with either a Milwaukee brace or a Chêneau brace. Both interventions incorporated brace-specific exercise programs designed according to the biomechanical principles of each orthosis. Clinical and radiographic assessments included sex, age, primary Cobb angle at brace initiation and best in-brace correction, T1-T12 kyphosis angle, trunk shift, apical vertebral translation, and coronal deformity angular ratio.
Both brace groups demonstrated significant improvements in scoliosis Cobb angle, thoracic kyphosis, trunk shift, and apical vertebral translation compared with pretreatment values, according to the study. However, no significant differences were observed between the Milwaukee and Chêneau groups regarding in-brace radiographic outcomes.
The researchers concluded that both braces appear to be effective treatment options in this population, suggesting that Chêneau bracing may also be applicable in high thoracic curves traditionally managed with Milwaukee braces.
The open-access study, “Cobb angle outcomes in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curves above the seventh/eighth thoracic vertebrae: A comparison of Milwaukee and Chêneau bracing techniques,” was published in the European Spine Journal.
