Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis.

Abstract

Degenerative lumbar scoliosis is a progressive coronal plane deformity that includes sagittal malalignment and usually occurs in patients older than forty years of age1. This is in contrast to adult idiopathic scoliosis, which is a result of untreated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and is more commonly seen in the thoracic spine. Degenerative lumbar scoliosis involves fewer segments and less severe curves than adult idiopathic scoliosis; however, both diagnoses can present with similar symptoms of back pain, lower-limb pain, and functional impairment. The prevalence is difficult to determine, possibly because of the diverse patient populations studied; it has ranged from 1% to 68% in the literature1-8, but most studies have demonstrated prevalences of about 7.5% to 15%6. There are radiographic findings that may predict which patients will develop scoliosis (defined as a coronal Cobb angle of >10°), as one community cohort demonstrated that asymmetric disc degeneration and unilateral osteophyte formation led to an increased prevalence of scoliosis5,9. The pathogenesis of degenerative lumbar scoliosis is unknown. However, recently researchers have investigated markers that could help establish an etiology or risk for progression of this condition10. Biomarkers that signify type-II-collagen synthesis and degradation have been …