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BayCare Physician Performs Life-Changing Corrective Spinal Surgery on Local Teen
January 02, 2025
The world-class surgeons of The Scoliosis Center at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital treat children who require extensive and complex orthopedic surgical procedures. However, it is not often that they see a case quite like that of 17-year-old Madison Lockert, whose successful spinal fusion surgery improved more than just her physical abilities.
Born with hypotonic cerebral palsy, she learned to walk at the age of 4 using the aid of a walker. Within a year, she was able to walk independently for short distances, which greatly improved her self-confidence and provided a degree of independence for a child under constant supervision.
However, as she entered middle school, Lockert faced a new challenge. The growth spurts typically associated with adolescence triggered a more serious complication for the then 12-year-old. Muscle contractures caused her spinal cord to bend, resulting in scoliosis. The increased curvature of her spine made walking difficult and reduced her ability to stand for prolonged periods.
As a first step to addressing the impairment, Lockert underwent surgery at a local hospital for a tethered spinal cord, a condition in which the spinal cord attaches to fatty tissue at the base of the spine. The surgery to untether the spinal cord has a high success rate and typically results in improved movement. However, for Lockert the result was different—her condition worsened.
Within 18 months post-surgery, the curvature had escalated from 55 degrees to a dramatic 98-degree bend. Her spine became C-shaped putting pressure on her internal organs and causing pain. If not corrected, it could result in breathing difficulty and other complications.
In search of a new surgeon to treat her daughter’s severe scoliosis, Lockert’s mother, Grace Lockert, heard through friends, about Dr. David Siambanes, a BayCare Medical Group pediatric orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spinal procedures at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.
“As soon as we met him, we felt comfortable right away,” said Grace Lockert. “He put us at ease, and we trusted that Madison would be in good hands.”
Dr. Siambanes has performed spinal surgeries for more than 25 years but said that Madison’s case was rare.
“We do spinal procedures once or twice a week, however, it was unusual to have a patient who required such a high degree of correction,” said Dr. Siambanes.
Over the course of the 8-hour surgery, Dr. Siambanes and his surgical team successfully inserted a metal rod to fuse Madison Lockert’s spine and correct her posture. The result has been life changing, particularly considering her other challenges, explained her mother.
“Madison is nonverbal so it can be difficult for us to know exactly how she is feeling. Before the surgery, she would spend most of the day in bed and she would grow frustrated and act out. We understood that she was in pain, but I don’t think we understood just how much pain she had been in until seeing the dramatic difference in her since the surgery. She is so much happier. Her quality of life is so much better. It’s just incredible what Dr. Siambanes and his team were able to achieve. Her spine is almost 100% perfect.”
Although Dr. Siambanes cautions that every surgery carries risks, he said that for spinal fusion procedures the benefits far outweigh those concerns.
“I’d like parents to know that this [procedure] can be done safely. Patients can walk the next day. It really is life changing.”
Although Madison Lockert will not require any additional spinal surgeries, Dr. Siambanes still has work to do. Her cerebral palsy has also affected her feet, causing them to curve upward. Soon, she will undergo surgery to straighten both feet with the goal of further improving her ability to walk and move independently.
“There’s anxiety any time your child undergoes surgery,” said Grace Lockert. “However, given the level of care we received from the nurses and Dr. Siambanes’ entire team, we’re very hopeful.”
As Tampa Bay’s largest provider of children’s health services, BayCare Kids and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital are home to a medical team of more than 200 physicians with close to 100 pediatric specialists, representing nearly all major subspecialties.
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is well known throughout the southeast United States as a leader in pediatric heart and cancer care and is home to the Steinbrenner Emergency/Trauma Center for Children, staffed exclusively by board-certified pediatric emergency physicians, and the Daniel J. Plasencia, MD Children’s Chronic Complex Clinic, recognized nationally for its care of medically fragile children.
Learn more about BayCare Kids and The Scoliosis Center at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.