About 25 percent of patients show no progression at all. Most of these require no active treatments, but do require periodic checkups until growth is complete. Another 25 percent progress their deformity, but do it at a very slow rate - less than 5 degrees per year. This progression can be easy to miss unless the doctor measures the films very carefully, and always looks at the original film as well as the current one and the one last year. The other 50 percent progress quite significantly, with steady progression until puberty, and then very rapid progression during the time of rapid pubertal growth.
Death can occur from loss of lung function due to the curvature.
In most patients, it is difficult to predict at a young age who will progress and who will not and therefore very careful monitoring for change is very critical. A few situations are so predictable that decisions about treatment can be made on a single evaluation. There is only one form of non-operative treatment of any potential value, and that is a brace. All other forms of non-operative treatment, such as exercises, chiropractic, electrical stimulation, biofeedback and acupuncture have all been tried and failed. In congenital scoliosis, even bracing has limited value.