DOI: 10.4103/joss.joss_6_26 ISSN: 0975-2625

The Impact of Anterior Surgery on the Long-term Pulmonary Functions in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Balaji Zacharia, Sadiqueali Padinharepeediyekkal, Subramanian Vaidyanathan
Show PDF Cite

Background:

A primary concern regarding anterior surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is its potential impact on pulmonary function.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of anterior surgery on long-term postoperative pulmonary function in children with AIS.

Material and Methods:

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 25 children with AIS who underwent anterior scoliosis surgery between 2008 and 2014. Pulmonary function was evaluated using the single-breath holding test, resting respiratory rate, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ), and percent predicted FVC and FEV 1 .

Results:

The mean preoperative FVC was 2.79 L (range: 2.2–3.4 L), and FEV 1 was 2.72 L (range: 2.1–3.2 L). At long-term follow-up, these values were 2.65 L (range: 2–3.6 L) and 2.6 L (range: 2.2–3.6 L), with P = 0.03 and 0.013, respectively. The mean preoperative percent predicted FVC and FEV 1 were 80.64% (range: 72%–90%) and 80.52% (range: 69%–90%). Long-term follow-up values were 78.72% (range: 60%–97%) for FVC and 79% (range: 68%–98%) for FEV 1 , with P = 0.19 and 0.23, respectively. The mean preoperative single-breath holding time was 46.84 ± 2.21 s, which improved to 48.08 ± 2.41 s ( P = 0.0015). The mean preoperative resting respiratory rate was 21.52 ± 2.38 breaths/min, and the postoperative rate was 20.96 ± 1.33 ( P = 0.076).

Conclusions:

In children with normal pulmonary function, anterior surgery for AIS does not result in significant long-term postoperative changes in pulmonary function.

More from our Archive