Research Areas

The Skaggs Lab conducts clinical and translational research on spinal deformity, trauma, robotic-assisted surgery and surgical safety through multi-site prospective trials, national database studies and retrospective projects.

We study surgical and nonoperative outcomes in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), including vertebral body tethering, posterior spinal fusion and the relationship between cervical kyphosis and degenerative disc disease in AIS patients. Our work also investigates radiation exposure reduction strategies, including the use of low-dose biplanar radiography.

We investigate growth-friendly implant systems for children with early-onset scoliosis (EOS), including growing rods, SHILLA constructs and magnetically controlled growing rods. With the Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG), the largest pediatric spine database in the world, our team studies complication rates, implant performance and long-term outcomes to optimize care for the youngest patients.

Our lab has led efforts to reduce surgical site infections in neuromuscular scoliosis surgery, demonstrating a 72% reduction following adoption of evidence-based best practice guidelines. We continue to study perioperative management, imaging utilization and outcomes in patients with cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy and other neuromuscular conditions.

We investigate the diagnosis, imaging characterization and surgical treatment of pediatric spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. Recent work has characterized unique lumbosacral anatomy in pediatric patients, the utility of MRI-generated synthetic CT and delays in diagnosis when patients first present to non-orthopedic providers.

We are studying the safety, accuracy and outcomes of robotic-assisted and navigated spine surgery in pediatric patients. Our research has shown that intraoperative navigation is associated with lower rates of neurological injury and blood transfusion in idiopathic scoliosis surgery, and we continue to develop best practice guidelines for robotic-assisted spine procedures.