Disc and vertebral wedging in patients with progressive scoliosis

This paper reports a retrospective longitudinal study of patients with docu mented progressive adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) or with scoliosis associated with cerebral palsy (SACP) to determine the relative amount of w edging between vertebrae and discs as a function of progression of the scol iosis curve and curve region. It was found that 1. the curves in SACP patie nts were longer, and more commonly in the thoraco-lumbar region; 2. The rel ative vertebral and disc wedging was not significantly different between cu rves early and late in the progression in either group; 3. In AIS, thoracic curves (King II) the vertebrae were mom wedged than the discs, the convers e was found in the lumbar curves (King I); 4. A similar difference by anato mical level was found in SACP curves, with the thoraco-lumbar curves resemb ling lumbar curves rather than thoracic.