Scoliosis: Life, Support & Friends

ScoliosisJournal posted an article regarding the pulmonary function in children with AIS. Details are listed below. Authors: Thefanis Tsiligiannis and Theodoros B Grivas Idiopathic scoliosis, a common disorder of lateral displacement and rotation of vertebral bodies during periods of rapid somatic growth, has many effects on respiratory function. Scoliosis results in a restrictive lung disease with a multifactorial decrease in lung volumes, displaces the intrathoracic organs, impedes on the movement of ribs and affects the mechanics of the respiratory muscles. Scoliosis decreases the chest wall as well as the lung compliance and results in increased work of breathing at rest, during exercise and sleep. Pulmonary hypertension and respiratory failure may develop in severe disease. In this review the epidemiological and anatomical aspects of idiopathic scoliosis are noted, the pathophysiology and effects of idiopathic scoliosis on respiratory function are ...

Authors: Angelos Kaspiris, Theodoros B Grivas, Hans-Rudolf Weiss and Deborah Turnbull Published By: ScoliosisJournal Background In view of the limited data available on the conservative treatment of patients with congenital scoliosis (CS), early surgery is suggested in mild cases with formation failures. Patients with segmentation failures will not benefit from conservative treatment. The purpose of this review is to identify the mid- or long-term results of spinal fusion surgery in patients with congenital scoliosis. Methods Retrospective and prospective studies were included, reporting on the outcome of surgery in patients with congenital scoliosis. Studies concerning a small numbers of cases treated conservatively were included too. We analyzed mid-term (5 to 7 years) and long-term results (7 years or more), both as regards the maintenance of the correction of scoliosis and the safety of instrumentation, the early and late complications of surgery and thei...

Spine Health released a new study to examine the Curvature of the Spine , Neuromuscular Disorders and Lung Function By: Chris Maynard Online Content Manager, Spine-health Nov 24, 2009 (Spine-Health) -- Patients with neuromuscular disorders had diminished respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function compared with a healthy control group, according to a new study also examining how scoliosis affects lung function. As detailed in a recent edition of The Spine Journal , neuromuscular disorders are known to lead to lung volume loss and respiratory muscle weakness, but the effects of scoliosis on lung function are unknown, a point that served as a basis of this study. For some context, neuromuscular disorders occur when the neurons, or nerve cells that send messages that control voluntary muscles like the arms and legs, become unhealthy and die. As a result of this breakdown in communication between the nervous system and muscles, the muscles weaken, possibly leading to a w...

Lung function asymmetry in children with congenital and infantile scoliosis Clinical Study Authors: Gregory Redding, Kit Song, Steve Inscore, Eric Effmann and Robert Campbell Abstract Background context Progressive scoliosis alters lung function by reducing chest wall compliance and excursion and rotating intrathoracic contents, producing an increasingly asymmetric lung size. The effect of this distortion on regional lung perfusion and ventilation has not been described in children with congenital and infantile forms of scoliosis. The severity of scoliosis is often described by the Cobb angle of the spine, but the relationship between Cobb angle and lung function asymmetry between concave and convex lungs has not been described in this group of children. Purpose To describe the frequency of asymmetric lung perfusion and ventilation among children with congenital or infantile thoracic scoliosis before surgical treatment and the relationship between Cobb angle and asymmetry of lung funct...