Abstract
Introduction: A consecutive series of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), treated between 1968 and 1977 before 21 years of age, with distraction and fusion using Harrington rods (ST, n=156; 145 females and 11 males) were followed at least twenty years after completion of the treatment.
Methods: One hundred and thirty-nine patients were reexamined as part of an unbiased personal follow-up, including a clinical examination, radiographs, validated questionnaires in terms of general and disease-specific quality of life aspects as well as present back and pain symptoms. An age- and sex-matched control group of 100 persons was randomly selected and subjected to the same examinations.
Results: Curve size was mean 36 degrees and nine of the patients (6%) had undergone any additional curve-related surgical procedure due to complications. Significantly more patients complained of back pain (78%) in comparison to the control group (58%, p=0.0012), mainly lumbar but mild pain. Significant but numerically small differences could be found for Oswestry Disability Index but not for sociodemographic variables or general quality of life (SF-36) between the groups. No correlation could be found between pain and its localization and curve size, increase since end of treatment or curve type. No differences were found between patients fused to L3/higher versus L4/lower.
Discussion and conclusion: Patients surgically treated for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were found to have approximately the same quality of life and back function as the general population and only a few were physically severely disabled.
Local Host: British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery. Conference Theme: Congenital Deficiencies of the Lower Limb. These abstracts were prepared by A.Catterall.
