When she was three years old, Nashalys Estremera Lugo had trouble walking. Her mother, Lizaira Lugo Vazquez, knew something was wrong.

Three years and six pediatricians later, they finally had a diagnosis: juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. During the testing that followed, physicians also realized that Nashalys suffers from scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.

“That is when we decided to leave Puerto Rico and move to America,” said Lizaira, with the aid of a translator.

On Tuesday, Aug. 25, 10-year-old Nashalys was the first patient at The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida to undergo a new technique called vertebral stapling to prevent the 35-degree curve in her spine from worsening. Lizaira and Nashalys live in Lehigh Acres.

Vertebral stapling involves stapling the outside curve of the spine to prevent it from growing, with the hope that the inside curve will continue to grow, and the spine will not get any worse and possibly correct itself, said Dr. John Churchill, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation.

Dr. Rodrigo Mon, a pediatric general surgeon, helped with the thoracoscopic and abdominal portions of the operation. A team of experts, including nurses, technicians and anesthesiologists, also helped to make the procedure a success.

The vertebral staples are made out of Nitinol metal. “Nitinol metal has a memory. The staples are in a C-shape when they are warm. We put the staples in ice water to make them flexible and reshape them into a V-shape. Once they are in the body and heat up, they regain their C-shape and function as a staple on the spine,” Churchill said.

Using Nitinol metal in surgical procedures is not new but using them in scoliosis surgeries is, he said.

Vertebral stapling is more of a preventive than a corrective measure, he also says. The procedure is best for patients who have moderate curves in their spines-20- to 40-degrees-and cannot use a spinal brace or have not had improvement with the brace.

This procedure can also help prevent the need for a spinal fusion operation, which is a much more extensive surgical procedure for those with severely curving spines, Churchill said. The results of vertebral stapling are not as dramatic as a spinal fusion, but you can see some improvement relatively quickly, he said. “Nashalys showed pretty significant improvement after her surgery. We could see a very noticeable difference,” he said.

Lizaira can also see a big difference in her daughter. Nashalys suffers from a lot of pain. She cannot participate in many activities that other children her age enjoy, and she has to be arranged on multiple pillows at school to be comfortable.

“Now, just three days after the surgery, she has more confidence when she is standing, and she feels more secure,” Lizaira said. “I thought she would be scared, but the hospital staff helped her to sit up the same day of the surgery.”

For those interested in more information regarding Pediatric Orthopedics of Southwest Florida, visit www.pedsortho.net or call 239-432-5100.