• Stefan Parent, Nathalie Samson, Jesse Shen, Gabriel Gutman, Sarah Bouchard, Bruno Piedboeuf, and Jean-Paul Praud.
• Department of Surgery, Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, 3175 Côte-Sainte Catherine, Montreal, H3T 1C5, QC, Canada. stefan.parent@umontreal.ca.
• Eur Spine J. 2019 Jan 1; 28 (1): 114-120.

PurposeTo develop an animal model of spine and chest wall deformity (CWD) at birth and to evaluate its effects on respiratory system mechanics and lung development.MethodsA spine and CWD was created in utero between 70 and 75 days of gestation in six ovine fetuses by resection of the seventh and eighth left ribs. Two days after birth, respiratory system mechanics was assessed in anesthetized lambs using the flexiVent apparatus, followed by postmortem measurement of lung mechanics as well as histological lung analysis.ResultsA range of severity of CWD was found (Cobb angle from 0° to 48°) with a mean decrease in compliance of 47% and in inspiratory capacity of 39% compared to control lambs. Proof-of-concept histological analysis in one lamb showed marked lung hypoplasia.ConclusionOur ovine model represents a pilot proof-of-concept study evaluating the impact of a spine and CWD present at birth on lung respiratory mechanics and development. This study lays down the groundwork for future studies evaluating the impact of these deformities on lung development and potential treatments. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

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