Pre-operative spirometry evaluation in adolescent girls with severe idiopathic scoliosis

Abstract

Introduction. Pulmonary impairment may be observed in patients with severe idiopathic scoliosis (IS). The aim of the study was to analyze spirometry parameters and identify the pulmonary status of patients prior to scoliosis surgery. Materials and methods. Ninety-two adolescent girls with IS, aged 10-18 underwent a spirometry examination and radiographic evaluation. The body height loss was calculated from Stokes’ formula. The values of the pulmonary parameters were interpreted against the measured versus the corrected body height. Results. The mean thoracic Cobb angle was 68.3°, range 50°-89°. A restrictive pattern was observed in over 40% of patients. The use of reference values calculated for corrected body height decreased the number of patients presenting pulmonary parameters within the normal range (48.9% versus 56.5%) and increased the number of patients with a possible restrictive pattern (42.4% versus 32.6%). Airway obstruction was observed in 10.9% of patients when measured body height was used versus 8.7% of patients while corrected body height was used. Conclusions. More than half of patients with severe thoracic idiopathic scoliosis present pulmonary impairment, mainly of a restrictive pattern. The calculations of reference values from the corrected body height as a substitute for the measured one may influence the interpretation of the spirometry examination results.