Pulmonary Function Improves in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis who Undergo Posterior Spinal Fusion Regardless of Thoracoplasty: A Mid-Term Follow-Up

• Published in: Spine Surgery and Related Research Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 22 - 27
• Main Authors: Iijima, Yasushi, Torii, Yoshiaki, Shiga, Yasuhiro, Saito, Wataru, Asano, Kota, Niki, Hisateru, Akazawa, Tsutomu, Kuroya, Shingo, Orita, Sumihisa, Inage, Kazuhide, Miyagi, Masayuki, Sakuma, Tsuyoshi, Nakamura, Junichi, Minami, Shohei, Yoshida, Atsuhiro, Ueno, Jun, Nakayama, Keita, Iinuma, Masahiro, Takahashi, Hiroshi, Eguchi, Yawara, Inoue, Gen, Fujimoto, Kazuki, Murakami, Kenichi, Ohtori, Seiji, Kotani, Toshiaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research 01.01.2021
• Subjects: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; expiratory flow; Original; pulmonary function; thoracoplasty; pulmonary function; expiratory flow; thoracoplasty; adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
• ISSN: 2432-261X; 2432-261X
• DOI: 10.22603/ssrr.2020-0077

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to determine, in a mid-term follow-up 5 years or more after surgery, the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and expiratory flow in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who underwent posterior spinal fusion (PSF) with or without thoracoplasty.Methods: The subjects were 134 patients with AIS who underwent PSF between 2004 and 2013. Forty-five patients agreed to participate in the study. We divided the patients into two groups as follows: 24 patients who underwent PSF with thoracoplasty from 2004 to 2010 in the TP group and 21 patients who underwent PSF without thoracoplasty from 2011 to 2013 in the non-TP group. We evaluated whole spine X-ray imaging and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in these patients. PFTs measured FVC, FEV1, peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximum expiratory flow at 50% FVC (V50), maximum expiratory flow at 25% FVC (V25), and the ratio of V50 to V25 (V50/V25).Results: The main thoracic curves were 53.6 ± 10.1° before surgery, 19.8 ± 7.6° 1 week after surgery, 22.3 ± 8.3° 2 years after surgery, and 23.3 ± 7.6° at the most recent observation. Compared with preoperative values, FVC, FEV1, and % FEV1 were improved significantly at the most recent observation. No significant difference was observed between % FVC before surgery and at the most recent observation. Compared with preoperative values, PEF, V50, and V25 were improved significantly at the most recent observation. V50/V25 did not change significantly. The changes in PFT values in the TP group and the non-TP group were compared. No significant differences were observed in FVC, % FVC, FEV1, % FEV1, PEF, V50, or V25.Conclusions: Regardless of whether thoracoplasty was performed or not, FVC, FEV1, and expiratory flow were improved 5 years or later after PSF.