ATLANTA -- A new device is changing the lives of some Atlanta children – it’s being used to help correct a spine condition. Channel 2’s Dr. Randy Martin explains.

Two-year-old Emily Han was born with a condition called congenital scoliosis. Unlike the scoliosis that some teens develop, the bones of Emily’s spinal column are abnormally shaped and as her spine grows, the curvature gets worse.

For some with the severe form of this condition, not only is the spine extremely curved, but the chest cavity can’t develop normally and so their lungs and hearts do not develop – a condition that can be life threatening. To prevent scoliosis from getting worse, doctors have traditionally fused the spine to literally stop it from growing.

“And that works quite well. What’s the downside to it, you end up with a child whose spine doesn’t grow anymore and if you do it at a very young age, they don’t have enough room for their heart and lungs to continue to grow, specifically their lungs,” says Dr. John Blanco.

Emily recently underwent a very innovative surgery where Dr. Blanco implanted a new device called a VEPTR – a vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib. The device is attached to Emily’s ribs and spine and then gradually helps to straighten out her curved spine and allow her ribs and chest cavity to attempt to grow normally.

“It consists of 2 rings of metal that encircle either one rib or 2 ribs above where the deformity is,” says Dr. Blanco.

And because the titanium rod expands, Dr. Blanco can re-adjust it as Emily grows.

“And at some point she will need an operation to stop the growth of her spine, but she’s way too young for it right now,” explains Dr. Blanco.

But until then, Dr. Blanco says the VEPTR rod offers Emily the best chance for the correct and proper development of her spine, rib cage and her heart and lungs.

“This is an operation that really offers them a much more normal life in the years to come,” says Dr. Blanco.