Ilkka Helenius
MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery
Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology ilkka.helenius@utu.fi ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5200-3279 |
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery; Scoliosis; Spine Surgery; Musculoskeletal tumors; Trauma surgery
Professor Ilkka Helenius, MD, is the chief of pediatric orthopaedics and traumatology at Turku University Hospital in Turku. He is the first professor of pediatric orthopedics and traumatology in Finland. He leads the multicenter studies of the Finnish Pediatric Orthopedic Study Group which focuses on scoliosis surgery, musculoskeletal tumors, and treatment of pediatric fractures. Professor Helenius has pioneered new techniques for scoliosis surgery in Finland and Nordic Countries such as pedicle screw technique, magnetically controlled growing rods, and tethering for idiopathic scoliosis. His research has lead to improved practices in blood loss control during in scoliosis surgery. Professor Helenius has frequently been invited speaker and to perform early onset scoliosis surgery in the Northern Europe. In 2017, he worked as a visiting professor and consultant orthopaedic spine surgeon at the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
Professor Helenius started his orthopaedic research career at Orton Orthopaedic Hospital, in Helsinki, Finland in 1999. He worked as a research fellow at the Pediatric Spine Study Group lead by Professor Dietrich Schlenzka. His clinical and research career continued at the Helsinki Children's Hospital in the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Orthopedics between 2002 and 2009. During this time Professor Helenius focused on e.g. orthopedic complications in children receiving solid organ transplantation. His research showed that risk of fractures in this patient population is significant and this resulted into systematic medical treatment. In 2007 he established the Finnish Paediatric Orthopaedic Study Group and has been the Leader since then. Currently, the study group is investigating blood saving protocols and postoperative pain management in scoliosis surgery (randomized clinical trials). The scientific activity of Professor Helenius has resulted into over 100 original scientific articles, several supervised PhDs, and improved care practices in pediatric orthopaedic surgery.
Professor Helenius is the academic chairman of Pediatric Surgery and and Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Turku. His is responsible for teaching of pediatric surgery and pediatric orthopedics for medical and specialist training of pediatric surgery at University of Turku.
- Clinical radiographic and MRI findings of the temporomandibular joint in patients with different rheumatic diseases (2006)
- International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Direct repair for treatment of symptomatic spondylolysis and low-grade isthmic spondylolisthesis in young patients: no benefit in comparison to segmental fusion after a mean follow-up of 14.8 years (2006)
- European Spine Journal
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Incidence and predictors of fractures in children after solid organ transplantation: A 5-year prospective, population-based study (2006)
- Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Long-term outcome after posterolateral, anterior, and circumferential fusion for high-grade isthmic spondylolisthesis in children and adolescents - Magnetic resonance imaging findings after average of 17-year follow-up (2006)
- Spine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Posterolateral, anterior, or circumferential fusion in situ for high-grade spondylolisthesis in young patients: A long-term evaluation using the Scoliosis Research Society questionnaire (2006)
- Spine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Respiratory symptoms, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, and eosinophilic airway inflammation in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (2006)
- Clinical and Experimental Allergy
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Scoliosis after solid organ transplantation in children and adolescents (2006)
- American Journal of Transplantation
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Self-reported attitudes of elite athletes towards doping: differences between type of sport (2006)
- International Journal of Sports Medicine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Snuff use and smoking in Finnish Olympic athletes (2006)
- International Journal of Sports Medicine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Spine after solid organ transplantation in childhood: A clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance imaging analysis of 40 patients (2006)
- Spine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Surgical correction of spinal deformities after solid organ transplantation in childhood (2006)
- European Spine Journal
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Total hip arthroplasty for rheumatoid arthritis in younger patients - 2,557 replacements in the Finnish Arthroplasty Register followed for 0-24 years (2006)
- Acta Orthopaedica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Treatment of severe spondylolisthesis in adolescence with reduction or fusion in situ: Long-term clinical, radiologic, and functional outcome (2006)
- Spine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Uncemented total hip arthroplasty for primary osteoarthritis in young patients - A mid- to long-term follow-up study from the Finnish Arthroplasty Register (2006)
- Acta Orthopaedica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Allergic rhinitis and pharmacological management in elite athletes (2005)
- Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Asthma, airway inflammation and treatment in elite athletes (2005)
- Sports Medicine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Clinical and radiographic findings of the temporomandibular joint in patients with various rheumatic diseases. A case-control study (2005)
- Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Does gender affect outcome of surgery in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? (2005)
- Spine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Marked initial displacement predicts complications in physeal fractures of the distal radius - An analysis of fracture characteristics, primary treatment and complications in 109 patients (2005)
- Acta Orthopaedica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Oral and salivary parameters in patients with rheumatic diseases (2005)
- Acta Odontologica Scandinavica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



