Between January 1961 and December 1972, 132 patients over twenty years
old with idiopathic scoliosis were surgically treated using Harrington
instrumentation and fusion techniques. All patients were seen by us because
of curve magnitude or symptoms secondary to scoliosis. The average
correction obtained at operation was 48 per cent. Twenty-four patients had
early complications. Fifty-two had late complications, the most frequent of
which was pseudarthrosis. The majority of patients had significant
improvement in symptoms as a result of surgical correction and
stabilization.