Abnormal Skeletal Growth Patterns in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Abstract

Background: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) occurs among children during their pubertal growth spurt. Although there is no clear consensus on the difference in body height between AIS and healthy controls, it is generally thought that the development and curve progression in patients with AIS is closely associated with their growth rate.

Our aim is to compare the anthropometric parameters of children with AIS and those of a control   group within different age groups ranging from 9 to 16 years old.

Methods: It is a prospective, cross-sectional, case-control study which include 431children, 258 girls, 110 with AIS and 148 healthy controls, whereas in the group of males 173, 49 have AIS and 124 don’t have deformity.

Anthropometric parameters, clinical examination of the trunk and radiological assessment of the spine are records. The statistical analysis is performed using SPSS package.

Children are examined from a school-screening program in our physical medicine department in the university hospital of Douera in Algiers. Measurements are assessed, including anthropometric parameters (body height, body weight, secondary sexual characters using Tanner stage, puberty age), trunk asymmetry and Cobb angle of scoliosis.

Results: Girls with AIS are generally taller, with a higher weight than the healthy controls with a significant difference at the age of 12 years old. Otherwise, boys with AIS aged of 14 years are significantly taller than their controls.

Conclusion: The growth patterns in terms of tallness with AIS are significantly different from healthy controls at the ages of 12 for girls and 14 for boys.