August 2, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tomorrow, Donald and Misty Dennis will bring their 15-month-old daughter, Haley, in to see UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Orthopedic Surgeon Joseph Khoury, M.D., and have a cast applied to correct the curvature of her spine – part of the non-invasive Mehta Casting method. The Dennis family drove four hours from Florence, Miss. for this treatment. UAB is the only facility in the Southeast to offer this specific type of casting.

Khoury is one of only a handful of doctors nationwide to be trained directly by Min Mehta, M.D., the creator of this method. Training on the Mehta Method takes a tremendous amount of time and resources, Khoury said. He came to UAB in June from the Shriners Hospital for Children in Erie, Pa. and brought with him considerable experience in treating infantile scoliosis and a custom casting table, which facilitates the method. According to Khoury, only two other facilities in the United States have this type of table, and they’re located in Salt Lake City and Erie. Parents of children with this condition seek out Khoury’s expertise and travel from all over the country for treatment.

Mehta casting involves guiding the spine’s growth by fitting the child for new casts every couple of months. This casting method has been proven more effective and appealing than many traditional bracing and surgical procedures.

Though rare, infantile scoliosis – a type of curvature of the spine found in children age 2 months to 3 years – can lead to severe deformity and serious complications if left untreated.

Donald and Misty learned that Haley suffers from infantile scoliosis almost a year ago. The direction her spine was growing threatened the development of her lungs. While traditional casting techniques thus far have been unsuccessful, they turned to the Internet to find the best treatment possible for their daughter.

“By joining an online support group for parents of children with infantile scoliosis, I found out about a great doctor in Pennsylvania – Dr. Khoury,” Misty said. “When we learned that he moved just four hours away to Birmingham, we were so happy. Of course, we would have traveled to Pennsylvania if we had to, but this makes it much more convenient.”