Health-related Quality of Life and Body Image Disturbance of Adolescents With Severe Untreated Idiopathic Early-onset Scoliosis in a Developing Country

Health-related quality of life in early onset scoliosis patients treated with the spring distraction system: what to expect in the first 2 years after surgery

PURPOSE

The Spring Distraction System (SDS) is a novel "growth-friendly" implant for the treatment of Early-Onset Scoliosis (EOS). This prospective study aims to determine the evolution of the "24-Item Early-Onset Scoliosis Questionnaire" (EOSQ-24) scores during 2-year follow-up after SDS surgery. Secondary aims include investigating the relation between EOSQ-24 scores and EOS etiology, and evaluating the impact of an unplanned return to the operating room (UPROR) on HRQoL.

METHODS

All SDS patients with at least 2-year follow-up were included. Caregivers completed the EOSQ-24 pre-operatively, post-operatively, and at 6, 12, and 24 month follow-up. Mean total and -domain scores were graphed over time. Repeated-measures ANOVA analyzed the influence of etiology on EOSQ-24 scores. Multiple regression analyzed associations between UPRORs and EOSQ-24 scores.

RESULTS

Forty-nine patients were included. Mean total EOSQ-24 scores decreased from 70 pre-operatively to 66 post-operatively, then gradually increased to 75 (24 months). Most domains exhibited changes over time, with initial declines, but eventually surpassing pre-operative levels after 2-year follow-up. Neuromuscular/Syndromic patients had lower scores, but showed similar improvements over time compared with other etiologies. Multiple regression showed lower Parental Burden domain score (- 14 points) in patients with UPRORs, although no significant reductions were found in total score, or in other domains.

CONCLUSION

HRQoL decreases immediately following SDS surgery but quickly recovers and exceeds pre-operative levels at 2-year follow-up in all domains. Neuromuscular/Syndromic patients have lower initial scores, but progress similarly over time. UPRORs do not influence EOSQ-24 scores, except for a negative impact on the Parental Burden domain in the short term.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Translation, reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire-27 in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

PURPOSE

Disease-specific scales which evaluate QoL are needed to evaluate treatment outcomes, and to compare the effects of different treatments. The outcome measures evaluating quality of life in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire-27 (SJ-27) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

METHODS

The SJ-27 questionnaire was translated into Turkish and 61 female patients filled out the translated version (TRv.SJ-27) twice to measure the test-retest reliability of the scale. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was estimated using Cronbach's α coefficient. The intraclass correlation coefficient was analysed for each item. Discriminant validity and convergent validity were determined by correlations with Cobb angle, ATR and the SRS-22r scale.

RESULTS

The mean Cobb angle was 25.8° and the ATR angle was 8.8°. Cronbach's α value was estimated as 0.935. The test-retest correlation coefficient for the item-total score was 0.877 (p = 0.000). Validity analysis showed a significantly positive correlation between the TRv.SJ-27 total score and Cobb and ATR angles, and a significantly negative relationship was found between the TRv.SJ-27 and SRS-22r scores.

CONCLUSIONS

It would be useful to use different outcome measures to assess the scoliosis-specific quality of life in clinical practice and research. The findings suggest that the Turkish version of Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire-27 is a valid and reliable measure to assess Turkish patients with AIS.

The Efficacy of a Posterior Approach to Surgical Correction for Neglected Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comparative Analysis According to Health-Related Quality of Life, Pulmonary Function, Back Pain and Sexual Function

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of severe idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and hypothesized that surgical treatment would have a superior impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), pulmonary function (PF), back pain, and sexual function.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 195 consecutive patients with IS classified into severe (SG) and moderate groups (MG) with a minimum follow-up of two years.

RESULTS

The mean preoperative curve was 131° and 60° in the SG and MG, respectively. The mean preoperative flexibility in the bending films averaged between 22% in the SG and 41% in the MG. After definitive surgery, the main curve was corrected to 61° and 18° in the SG and MG, respectively. The mean preoperative thoracic kyphosis was 83° in the SG and 25° in the MG, which was corrected to 35° in the SG and 25° in the MG. At baseline, the percentage of predicted lung volume (FVC) was significantly lower in the SG than that in the MG (51.2% vs. 83%). The baseline percentage of the predicted FEV1 values was also significantly lower in the SG than in the MG (60.8% vs. 77%). During the two-year follow-up, the percentage of predicted FVC showed significant improvement in the SG (69.9%) (p < 0.001), and the percentage of predicted FEV1 values during the follow-up improved significantly in the SG (76.9%) (p < 0.001) compared with the MG (81%), with no statistical difference observed during the two-year follow-up. The SRS-22r showed a clinically and statistically significant improvement in the preoperative results to those of the final follow-up (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical treatment of severe scoliosis can be safe. It provided a mean correction of the deformity for 59% of patients and significantly improved respiratory function, with the percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s improving by 60% and the forced vital capacity improving by 50%, resulting in clinically and statistically significant improvements in the SRS-22r, HRQoL outcome scores, and back pain (reduced from 36% to 8%), as well as improved sexual function. The planned surgical treatment can achieve a very significant deformity correction with a minimal risk of complications. The surgical treatment has a superior impact on the quality of life patients with severe spinal deformities and significantly improves function in every sphere of life.

Outcomes of Definitive Spine Fusion Using All-pedicle-Screw Constructs in Skeletally Immature Patients Aged 8 to 10 Years With Severe Idiopathic Early-Onset Scoliosis

BACKGROUND

The choice between growth-sparing techniques or definitive spine fusion for severe idiopathic early-onset scoliosis (IEOS) in skeletally immature patients aged 8 to 10 years represents a challenging dilemma. Although growth-sparing techniques show high complication rates in severe IEOS, the outcomes of definitive fusion in borderline skeletally immature patients with severe IEOS have not been investigated. We aimed to investigate the outcomes of early definitive fusion using all-pedicle-screw constructs in skeletally immature patients aged 8 to 10 years with severe IEOS.

METHODS

The inclusion criteria were as follows: IEOS, age 8 years or above, major coronal curve ≥90 degrees, thoracic height >18 cm, no history of previous spine surgery, no intraspinal anomalies and at least 3 years of postoperative follow-up. Patients underwent instrumented spinal fusion with all-pedicle-screw constructs and multiple Ponte osteotomies. All patients completed the Scoliosis Research Society 22 revision (Arabic version) questionnaire and Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire-Scoliosis version (BIDQ-S) preoperatively and at the last follow-up.

RESULTS

Fifty-five patients (24 males, 31 females; mean age: 8.96 y; range: 8 to 10 y) with severe IEOS met the inclusion criteria (mean follow-up period: 4.1±0.6 y; range: 3 to 5 y). The mean major coronal Cobb angle improved significantly (P<0.001) from 107±12.5 degrees to 26.8±6.8 degrees. Mean thoracic kyphosis improved significantly (P<0.001) from 57.2±15.8 degrees to 31.2±4.4 degrees. The loss of correction at the latest follow-up was nonsignificant. The total Scoliosis Research Society 22 revision (SRS-22r) score improved significantly from 2.5±1 to 4.3±0.7. The mean BIDQ-S score improved significantly from 4.1±0.3 to 1.6±0.3. The immediate postoperative gains in the mean thoracic height (T1-T12) and spinal height (T1-S1) were 14.9% and 19.6%, respectively, and the overall height increase at the latest follow-up was 17.8% and 23.8%, respectively. One patient underwent revision for implant failure (rod breakage).

CONCLUSION

Early definitive fusion for skeletally immature patients with severe IEOS yielded excellent correction with major improvements in patient quality of life. Severe IEOS poses a significant risk, but definitive fusion can potentially mitigate that risk in patients aged 8 to 10 years.

Developments, Focuses, and Trends in Early-Onset Scoliosis From 2005 to 2020: A Systematic Bibliometric Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Although several studies have been reported on early-onset scoliosis (EOS), a bibliometric analysis is still lacking. A systematic bibliometric analysis will enable researchers to understand the scope of the research topics, identify research focuses and key literature, and predict future research directions.

METHODS

Literature data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The Web of Science Results Analysis and Citation Report were used to analyze the reported studies in different views. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for further analysis, including a cooperation network analysis of the authors, institutions, countries and/or regions, discipline and journal analysis, reference co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence analysis.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 674 relevant studies reported from 2005 to 2020. During the study period, the field of EOS has expanded rapidly. Multiple cooperation was found among the authors, institutions, and countries and/or regions, with some making great contributions. The results of the reference co-citation analysis showed that the studies had several main focuses, including the growing rod (GR), magnetically controlled GR, an EOS 24-item questionnaire, and a growth evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

From 2005 to 2020, surgical treatment has remained the focus of research in the EOS field. The magnetically controlled GR is the latest research focus, which might become more comprehensive in the future. The Gr has remained the most popular topic, and potential new surgical techniques might require improvement to become the favored techniques. In addition, assessing the health-related quality of life and growth parameters of patients with EOS have become a popular topic.

Effect of Etiology, Radiographic Severity, and Comorbidities on Baseline Parent-Reported Health Measures for Children with Early-Onset Scoliosis

BACKGROUND

The Classification of Early-Onset Scoliosis (C-EOS) allows providers to differentiate patients, for clinical and research purposes, on the basis of the etiology of their disease as well as radiographic parameters. The Early Onset Scoliosis Questionnaire (EOSQ) is the first disease-specific, parent-reported HRQOL (health-related quality-of-life) outcome measure for this condition. We sought to determine the influence of the C-EOS etiology designation, radiographic parameters, and medical comorbidities on EOSQ scores to differentiate quality of life in this heterogeneous patient population. We hypothesized that baseline EOSQ scores for patients with EOS would be strongly affected by the C-EOS etiology designation.

METHODS

The analysis included prospectively enrolled patients with EOSQ scores recorded in a multicenter EOS database prior to intervention for the EOS. EOSQ scores were compared across C-EOS etiologies, severity of disease based on radiographic measurements, and patient comorbidities prior to scoliosis intervention.

RESULTS

Six hundred and ten patients with EOS were available for analysis; 119 had congenital, 201 had idiopathic, 156 had neuromuscular, and 134 had syndromic EOS. In multivariate analysis, neuromuscular and syndromic etiologies were associated with lower scores than congenital and idiopathic etiologies in many EOSQ domains including general health, transfer, daily living, fatigue/energy level, and emotion. Patients with neuromuscular EOS had the lowest EOSQ scores in general. Congenital and idiopathic EOS did not differ from each other in any EOSQ domain. Coronal Cobb and kyphosis angles had significant inverse but generally weak correlations with EOSQ domains. Individual medical comorbidities had a minor effect on certain domains while American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class and total number of comorbidities had inverse correlations with most domains.

CONCLUSIONS

The underlying etiology of EOS appears to have a significant influence on the parent-reported HRQOL outcomes of the disease. Specifically, syndromic and neuromuscular C-EOS diagnoses are associated with lower EOSQ scores before treatment compared with congenital and idiopathic diagnoses. Radiographic measurements of severity have a relatively small influence on EOSQ scores. These baseline differences in C-EOS-designated etiology should be accounted for in studies comparing outcomes of treatment for this heterogeneous patient population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

EVALUATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SCOLIOSIS SUBMITTED TO CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT

ABSTRACT Objective To assess the level of quality of life (QOL) and the most affected dimensions in patients with scoliosis. Methods Original article about a descriptive, quantitative study of 20 individuals diagnosed with scoliosis and undergoing conservative treatment. Data were collected during consultations using two questionnaires, one containing social and demographic data and the Revised Scoliosis Research Society-22 (Brazilian version). The analysis was carried out in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 25), using descriptive statistics and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. The research was submitted to and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Faculdades Integradas de Patos. Results The sample was composed mostly of female patients (70%), aged between 12 and 16 years (55%), whose most affected QOL domains were activity (10%) and mental health(55%). In addition, patients with moderate scoliosis had a lower quality of life when compared to those with mild scoliosis. Conclusion Scoliosis is an alteration of the spine that affects more female adolescents, negatively impacting their quality of life, and mainly affecting the domains of activity, mental health and appearance. Given this reality, a closer look is needed, seeking to create and encourage strategies that can improve the overall well-being of these patients. Level of Evidence II - Retrospective Study.