In Reply

Strategies for Treating Scoliosis in Early Childhood by Dr. med. Karsten Ridderbusch, PD Dr. med. Alexander S. Spiro, Dr. med. Philip Kunkel, Dr. med. Benjamin Grolle, Prof. Dr. med. Ralf Stücker, and Prof. Dr. med. Martin Rupprecht in issue 22/2018

Ocular torticollis subsequent to trochlear nerve palsy is a disease pattern that should always be excluded in torticollis.

Our article (1) focused on children younger than 10 years of age with structural scoliosis requiring treatment.

The pathogenesis is primarily of a syndromal and neuromuscular nature. We are not aware of any cases of structural scoliosis in early childhood as a result of ocular torticollis, and we were not able to identify any such cases in the literature either. On the basis of unrecognized torticollis, secondary postural asymmetries may certainly develop, but these were not the subject of our review article (1).

DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2018.0609b

On behalf of the authors

Dr. med. Karsten Ridderbusch

AKK Altonaer Kinderkrankenhaus gGmbH

Conflict of interest statement

The authors of both contributions declare that no conflict of interest exists.

References

1. Ridderbusch K, Spiro AS, Kunkel P, Grolle B, Stücker R, Rupprecht M: Strategies for treating scoliosis in early childhood. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2018; 115: 371–6