Chief, Neuro Spine Surgery & Additional Director, Neurosurgery, Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, India
Part 10 of 13 in Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
Scoliosis Correction Surgery in India
August 6, 2026
Scoliosis correction surgery straightens an abnormally curved spine using wedge resection and screw-based correction techniques, restoring a more normal spinal alignment and gait. Dr. S. K. Rajan, Chief and Unit Head, Orthopaedics and Spine Neurosurgery at Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, has performed scoliosis correction as part of spine surgery in India for both children and adults.
Treating Scoliosis Caused by Hemivertebra
Dr. S. K. Rajan describes a young girl with scoliosis caused by a hemivertebra, an abnormally shaped vertebra present from birth. Surgery involved wedge resection of the abnormal bone combined with screw correction, successfully straightening her spine.
Treating Severe, Longstanding Scoliosis
In a more complex case, Dr. S. K. Rajan treated a scoliosis patient from the African subcontinent with a complete curvature of the spine. This required more than 10 hours of surgery using implants to gradually straighten the spine, illustrating the scale of correction that severe, longstanding scoliosis can require.
Why Patients Travel for Scoliosis Surgery in India
Complex scoliosis cases, particularly those involving severe curvature or hemivertebra deformities, require significant surgical expertise and technology to correct safely. Dr. S. K. Rajan's case examples, including patients from the African subcontinent, reflect why scoliosis correction is a significant part of the demand for spine surgery in India at centres equipped with advanced navigation and monitoring technology. He notes that outcomes such as a straightened spine and an improved gait are achievable even in longstanding, severe cases when the right combination of surgical technique and technology is used.
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This article is based on a Jivo Masterclass session conducted by Dr. S. K. Rajan, Chief and Unit Head, Orthopaedics and Spine Neurosurgery, Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, India. The article has been summarised with the assistance of an AI tool from the original masterclass recording. Watch the full Masterclass recording
This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass — Dr. S. K. Rajan taught doctors across Africa on September 15, 2024.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
Dr. Navala Gabriel
Do you have provisions for doing spine surgeries for children with neural tube defects?
Dr. S. K. Rajan
Yes, we have specialist spine surgeons and pediatric surgeons also, and I myself do a lot of spine surgery in children — whether they have neural tube defects such as meningocele, Chiari malformation, or tethering of the spinal cord which can cause weakness of the legs. In all those patients we do spine surgeries, also in children who've got scoliosis or hemivertebra deformities, or tumours of the spine. All those patients we have been tackling from the age of 6 months to 18 years of age.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about the cost of treatment, and the duration of treatment, for a spine problem?▼
The cost of surgery in our hospital for spinal problems can range anything from $3,500 for a discectomy and decompression to $5,500 or $6,000 for fixation of the spine at one level, and even up to $10,000 for more complicated cases — that's usually the range of costs patients most commonly have to bear. Most of these patients, who come walking because of pain in the neck, arm, or lower back going into the legs, usually stay in the hospital for about three to four days, and in the country for about two weeks.
Do you use intraoperative neuromonitoring?▼
Yes, we do use intraoperative neuromonitoring — we are one of the very few centres in the country who have been using this quite regularly. We were focusing on minimally invasive spine surgery and spine navigation in this talk because of limited time, but yes, we do have neuromonitoring available to us as well.
Do you have provisions for doing spine surgeries for children with neural tube defects?▼
Yes, we have specialist spine surgeons and pediatric surgeons also, and I myself do a lot of spine surgery in children — whether they have neural tube defects such as meningocele, Chiari malformation, or tethering of the spinal cord which can cause weakness of the legs. In all those patients we do spine surgeries, also in children who've got scoliosis or hemivertebra deformities, or tumours of the spine. All those patients we have been tackling from the age of 6 months to 18 years of age.
What surgical techniques are used to correct scoliosis?▼
Dr. Rajan uses wedge resection of the abnormal bone combined with screw-based correction to restore normal spinal alignment.
How long can surgery take for severe, longstanding scoliosis cases?▼
In a complex case involving a patient from the African subcontinent with a complete curvature of the spine, correction required more than 10 hours of surgery using implants to gradually straighten the spine.
Can severe or longstanding scoliosis still be corrected successfully?▼
Yes. Dr. Rajan's case examples show that a straightened spine and improved gait are achievable even in longstanding, severe cases when the right combination of surgical technique and technology is used.
In This Series: Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
- 1.Making Spine Surgery 100% Safe
- 2.Cement Augmentation for Osteoporotic Spinal Fractures
- 3.Cost of Spine Surgery in India
- 4.Why an Integrated Spine Clinic Matters: Team-Based Spine Care
- 5.Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Spine Surgery
- 6.Keyhole (Minimally Invasive) Spine Surgery Explained
- 7.Lumbar Canal Stenosis: Keyhole Surgery and Recovery
- 8.What Is the O-Arm and How Does It Make Spine Surgery Safer?
- 9.Pediatric Spine Surgery in India: Conditions Treated
- 10.Scoliosis Correction Surgery in India
- 11.Treating Spinal Tuberculosis in India
- 12.What Causes Spine Surgery Complications, and How They're Prevented
- 13.When Is Spine Surgery Actually Needed? Signs You Shouldn't Ignore