Research Associated Clinical Research Groups

Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology

Research Program

Associated Clinical Research Groups

Leaders

Where we are

SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital

How to reach us

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This research group is formed by members of all the specialised units of the Child Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Service of SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital. We conduct translational research, that is to say, we take up problems that we come across in our healthcare work (involving both surgical and non-surgical treatments) as well as in the follow-up of patients, with the aim of analysing these problems and finding solutions to them through research.

At present we are engaged in several competitive projects which are focused on the following subjects: (1) personalised treatment for the correction of skeletal deformities (FIS Project), (2) effectiveness of orthopaedic treatments for non-surgical adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (FIS Project and EPOS Research Grant), (3) comparison of surgical treatments for diaphyseal fractures in adolescents (SECOT Grant), and (4) study of the possible relation between Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD (EPOS Research Grant).

Aside from these competitive projects, we are conducting other research projects such as the design of records of various pathologies, the translation and validation of scales, and the implementation of 3D technology in the operating theatre, among others.

Research lines

  1. Congenital pathology of the upper limb: clinical research on congenital malformations, brachial plexus and peripheral nerve injuries, and congenital pathologies of the upper limb. Principal investigator: Dr Laura Pérez L-ópez.
  2. Skeletal dysplasias: records and studies of different types of lengthening in cases of dysplasia, and of treatments with guided growth plates. Principal investigator: Dr César García Fontecha.
  3. Spinal column deformities: this line is addressed to research on the treatment and pathophysiology of different types of scoliosis. Principal investigator: Dr Alejandro Peiró.
  4. Development of new techniques in orthopaedic surgery: we are engaged in a number of ongoing studies in this line, including, for example, comparative studies of different surgical treatments for fractures, knee surgery results in paediatric patients, comparison and results of clubfoot treatments, etc. Principal investigator: Dr Laura Corominas.

Scientific objectives

  1. Development of a patent: we are in the process of publishing a patent of a medical device in the sphere of our spinal column deformities research line.
  2. We are participating in the development and enhancement of clinical guides: we consider that, thanks to the scientific evidence derived from our studies, we can and should be present in the development and enhancement of clinical guides within the field of child orthopaedic surgery and traumatology, specifically in the case of the clinical guides that deal with the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the treatment of diaphyseal fractures of the forearm, the correction of clubfoot, or bone lengthening.
  3. Development and adaptation of surgical planning and 3D printing techniques: recent technological advances have given rise to new tools that may be very useful for such surgical interventions as osteotomies of complex deformities. For this reason, one of our scientific goals is to analyse the advantages of such tools for the patient and the hospital, and to collaborate on the development and adaptation of these techniques to allow the greatest number of patients to benefit from them.
  4. Study of the impact and benefits of the use of augmented navigation and reality and other medical imaging systems in the operating theatre: the advances in imaging technologies are transforming surgical treatments. At present we are engaged in some projects involving the intraoperative use of magnetic resonance and we wish to extend these studies to other techniques, such as navigation with augmented reality in spinal column operations. The use of medical imaging systems of this type in the operating room reduces the duration of interventions, the number of possible complications, the postoperative pain and the days of hospitalisation. For this reason, we are convinced that one of our goals as a scientific group should be to do research on and to contribute to the development and enhancement of the application of these technologies in the operating room.
  5. We seek to be authors and/or co-authors of functional scales and classification tables. One of our scientific goals is that the members of our team should be authors or co-authors of functional scales and carry out the validation of scales and classification tables of malformations. Accordingly, we collaborate with authors of the PUFI functional scale (for paediatric patients with amputations), translating it and validating it in our language. Likewise, the large flow of patients at Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children's Hospital provides us with a sufficient population to create new classification tables of Poland Syndrome malformations, which help to make the surgical planning for the affected patients simpler and more efficient.

Area/Field of expertise

The fact that we have a large healthcare team (the third largest in Europe) allows each of our professionals to devote him or herself exclusively to a specific paediatric orthopaedics pathology. In particular, within the field of paediatric orthopaedics, we have broad experience and a high capacity of development in the following areas:

  • Skeletal dysplasias: we are the hospital that attends to the largest number of patients with this disorder in Spain, and we belong to the European network ERN Bond as a full member.
  • Spinal pathology: we are the hospital that carries out the most interventions in this field in Spain during the year (about 120).
  • Traumatic injuries: ee attend to about 15,000 visits a year in our emergency service.

Our Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Service is accredited as a national reference centre in paediatric orthopaedics (which includes skeletal dysplasia, neuro-orthopaedics and congenital malformations) and in obstetric brachial plexus palsy.

All our studies arise from the healthcare needs that we encounter in our patients. In order to find solutions to these problems, we use translational research, basic research on animal models, prospective studies, validation and translation of scales, clinical trials, cohort studies, and records and studies of treatment effectiveness. Thanks to the large flow of patients in our Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Service and the high specialisation of all the professionals of our team, we are in a position to conduct studies on large populations of patients and to apply new and innovative experimental therapies for disorders for which no treatment currently exists or for which the existing treatments are insufficient.

Within this context of healthcare and research, some aspects make us unique, including the following: 3D printing technology, intraoperative neurophysiology, intraoperative magnetic resonance, augmented reality for spinal column interventions and study of posture in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. We seek to take advantage of all these elements to conduct research based on the incorporation of the latest technologies so that, through scientific evidence, these new techniques and treatments may be extended to clinical practice, allowing the greatest number of patients to benefit from them.

Group members

Last Publications

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Projects

Project name:
Alargamiento de tibia con fijador externo monolateral, análisis de la implicación del peroné en el desarrollo de complicaciones
Leader
Maria Pilar Rovira Marti
Funding entities:
Sociedad Española de Ortopedia Pediátrica
Code
PCP00430
Starting - finishing date:
2024 - 2027
Project name:
Comparación del estado anatómico-funcional de la corteza cerebral antes y después del tratamiento de patología congénita deextremidad superior pediátrica
Leader
Laura Montserrat Pérez López
Funding entities:
Sociedad Española de Ortopedia Pediátrica
Code
PCP00394
Starting - finishing date:
2023 - 2028
Project name:
Ensayo clínico aleatorizado comparativo del corsé diurno y nocturno
Leader
Alejandro Peiró García
Funding entities:
Sociedad para el estudio de las enfermedades del raquis (GEER)
Code
PCP00379
Starting - finishing date:
2023 - 2027
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Theses

  • Estudio comparativo de la marcha postoperatoria en artroplastia total de cadera. Abordaje anterior directo vs. Abordaje posterolateral
    Institution
    UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BARCELONA
    09/03/2022
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