New data supports the hypothesis that the direction of the spinal curve in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is determined by the built-in rotational pattern of the spine at the time of onset, according to an article published in Spine.
There is a predominance of right-sided thoracic curves in AIS patients. Left-sided curves in infantile idiopathic scoliosis may be explained by the pre-existing vertebral rotation patterns. For the study, vertebral rotation in the transverse plane of T2-T12 was measured using a semiautomatic method on 146 CT scans of children without evidence of spinal pathology.
Researchers analyzed the vertebral rotational patterns in infantile, juvenile and adolescent patients. In the infantile spine, the T2-T6 vertebrae were significantly rotated to the left. Left-side rotation was more pronounced in boys than girls at this stage. For the adolescent spine, T6-T12 was rotated to the right. No statistical difference in rotation between the sexes at adolescence was found.
Read the abstract about scoliosis.
Read other coverage on scoliosis:
- Scoliosis Research Society's Database on Morbidity and Mortality An Effective Benchmarking Tool
- Improving Scoliosis Treatment: Q&A With Dr. Vincent Arlet, Developer of Scolisoft Scoliosis Database
- New Scoliosis Procedure Performed in Texas
There is a predominance of right-sided thoracic curves in AIS patients. Left-sided curves in infantile idiopathic scoliosis may be explained by the pre-existing vertebral rotation patterns. For the study, vertebral rotation in the transverse plane of T2-T12 was measured using a semiautomatic method on 146 CT scans of children without evidence of spinal pathology.
Researchers analyzed the vertebral rotational patterns in infantile, juvenile and adolescent patients. In the infantile spine, the T2-T6 vertebrae were significantly rotated to the left. Left-side rotation was more pronounced in boys than girls at this stage. For the adolescent spine, T6-T12 was rotated to the right. No statistical difference in rotation between the sexes at adolescence was found.
Read the abstract about scoliosis.
Read other coverage on scoliosis:
- Scoliosis Research Society's Database on Morbidity and Mortality An Effective Benchmarking Tool
- Improving Scoliosis Treatment: Q&A With Dr. Vincent Arlet, Developer of Scolisoft Scoliosis Database
- New Scoliosis Procedure Performed in Texas