Pr René Castelein

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Utrecht University Medical Center, Netherlands

Biomechanical and genetics, Laureate 2006, 2017 and 2021

René M Castelein is professor-emeritus of orthopedic surgery at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Throughout his academic career he has performed research into the etiology and patho-mechanism of idiopathic scoliosis, the most intriguing of all human disorders. It has always fascinated him how a child, usually a girl, can develop normally up to the age of puberty and then develop this poorly understood condition, that seriously influences the rest of life.
His research has shown that biomechanical effects of the fully upright human spine play an important role. The human spine is loaded differently than any other spine in nature (also the bipedal ones), this introduces unique dorsally directed shear loads that can make the spine rotationally unstable during critical periods in life as puberty, but also older age.
The intervertebral disc appears to play a crucial role. During puberty, when loads and moment arm on the spine increase very rapidly, the disc may not yet be fully mature in a small percentage of the population, leading to apparent rotational instability. Also in older age, when discs degenerate and lose their mechanical integrity, the rotation-inducing forces that are always present, may get a chance to lead to manifest rotation of vertebrae. In this sense, adult spine deformity (ASD) can be considered the end of a spectrum that starts with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Publications

Early Sagittal Shape of the Spine Predicts Scoliosis Development in a Syndromic (22q11.2DS) Population: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.
de Reuver S, Homans JF, Houben ML, Schlösser TPC, Ito K, Kruyt MC, Castelein RM.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Dec 4;106(23):2256-2263. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.23.01096. Epub 2024 Oct 22.
Supported by Cotrel

Genetic overlap between idiopathic scoliosis and schizophrenia in the general population.
de Reuver S, Engchuan W, Safarian N, Zarrei M, Vorstman JAS, Castelein RM, Breetvelt EJ.Spine Deform. 2024 Oct 15. doi: 10.1007/s43390-024-00979-9.
Supported by Cotrel

Maturation of the vertebral ring apophysis is delayed in girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis compared to the normal population.
Costa L, van Lange A, Seevinck PR, Chu W, Vavruch L, Kruyt MC, Castelein RM, Schlosser TPC.Spine Deform. 2024 Nov;12(6):1631-1637.

Ossification and Fusion of the Vertebral Ring Apophysis as an Important Part of Spinal Maturation.
Costa L, de Reuver S, Kan L, Seevinck P, Kruyt MC, Schlosser TPC, Castelein RM.J Clin Med. 2021 Jul 21;10(15):3217

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome as a Human Model for Idiopathic Scoliosis.
de Reuver S, Homans JF, Schlösser TPC, Houben ML, Deeney VFX, Crowley TB, Stücker R, Pasha S, Kruyt MC, McDonald-McGinn DM, Castelein RM.J Clin Med. 2021 Oct 20;10(21):4823
Supported by Cotrel

What a stranded whale with scoliosis can teach us about human idiopathic scoliosis.
de Reuver S, IJsseldijk LL, Homans JF, Willems DS, Veraa S, van Stralen M, Kik MJL, Kruyt MC, Gröne A, Castelein RM.Sci Rep. 2021 Mar 30;11(1):7218.

Sagittal curvature of the spine as a predictor of the pediatric spinal deformity development.
Pasha S, de Reuver S, Homans JF, Castelein RM.Spine Deform. 2021 Jul;9(4):923-932

Idiopathic Scoliosis as a Rotatory Decompensation of the Spine.
Castelein RM, Pasha S, Cheng JC, Dubousset J.J Bone Miner Res. 2020 Oct;35(10):1850-1857

Anterior lengthening in scoliosis occurs only in the disc and is similar in different types of scoliosis.
de Reuver S, Brink RC, Homans JF, Vavruch L, Tropp H, Kruyt MC, van Stralen M, Castelein RM.Spine J. 2020 Oct;20(10):1653-1658

The Biomechanics of Induction in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Theoretical Factors.
Sarwark JF, Castelein RM, Maqsood A, Aubin CE.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019 Mar 20;101(6):e22.

Scoliosis convexity and organ anatomy are related.
Schlösser TPC, Semple T, Carr SB, Padley S, Loebinger MR, Hogg C, Castelein RM.Eur Spine J. 2017 Jun;26(6):1595-1599
Supported by Cotrel

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
Cheng JC, Castelein RM, Chu WC, Danielsson AJ, Dobbs MB, Grivas TB, Gurnett CA, Luk KD, Moreau A, Newton PO, Stokes IA, Weinstein SL, Burwell RG.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2015 Sep 24;1:15030

Effects of dorsal versus ventral shear loads on the rotational stability of the thoracic spine: a biomechanical porcine and human cadaveric study.
Kouwenhoven JW, Smit TH, van der Veen AJ, Kingma I, van Dieën JH, Castelein RM.Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007 Nov 1;32(23):2545-50
Supported by Cotrel

Analysis of preexistent vertebral rotation in the normal spine.
Kouwenhoven JW, Vincken KL, Bartels LW, Castelein RM.Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2006 Jun 1;31(13):1467-72
Supported by Cotrel

Financing a research project

Training in screening

Scolimpiades: screening near you

Does your child have scoliosis?

Yves Cotrel Foundation

Mrs Nora Muller-Conte
Delegate of the Foundation
Fondation Yves Cotrel
Institut de France
23, Quai de Conti – 75006 Paris France

Institute of France

23, Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris France