Acta orthop. scand. zyxwvutsrq 52, 177-185, 1981 THE LENGTH AND PROPORTIONS OF THE THORACOLUMBAR SPINE IN CHILDREN WITH IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS zy LARS B. SKOGLAND zyxwvuts & JAMES A. A. MILLER Sophies Minde Orthopaedic Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway. The length of the thoracolumbar spine was measured on standardized X-ray films from 274 children (61/2-181/2 years) with idiopathic scoliosis and 2 12 controls. Where possible, the height and width (transverse diameter) of two vertebral bodies (T-6 and L-4) were also measured. Although a tendency towards longer spines in the scoliotics could be found, there was no significant difference between children with idiopathic scoliosis and controls in this respect. In girls the pubertal growth-spurt of the spine was found to start about 1 year earlier than in the controls and the growth of the spine seemed to cease later in the scoliotics. The height and width of T-6 was significantly greater in the scoliotics than in the controls for girls under 13 years of age. In the older girls and in the boys no significant difference could be demonstrated. The height of L-4 tended to be grea- ter in the scoliotic boys and younger girls, though the differences were not statisti- cally significant. The index height/width was calculated for T-6 and L-4 in all groups of patients and higher values could be demonstrated in the scoliotics for all test groups. The greater height of T-6 in scoliotics might indicate a longer thoracic spine in these children. The higher values of the heightiwidth indices suggest that the thoracolumbar spine in children with idiopathic scoliosis has an increased slender- ness compared with the spine in non-scoliotic children. Key words: adolescence; growth; idiopathic scoliosis; radiography; spinal length; vertebral dimensions Accepted 13.ix.80 The association between physical growth and progression of a structural scoliosis is well estab- lished (Duthie 1959, Duval-Beaupkre et al. 1970) but the mechanism by which growth may influence spinal deformities is still not well un- derstood. Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) seems to de- velop during periods of rapid longitudinal growth (Willner 1972) and mild to moderate curves (<60 degrees Cobb) usually progreh very little after the completion of growth in the spine (Collis & Ponseti 1969). 000 1-6470/81/020177-09 $02.5010 The aetiology of IS is probably multifactorial and one of the possible factors could be mechani- cal instability of the spine. If so, spinal length and dimensions of the vertebral bodies and discs may be pertinent geometric factors. Willner (1972) and Nordwall & Willner (1975) have de- monstrated that girls with IS are significantly taller than healthy controls, but there is no documentation that the spine as such is longer in these children. Sitting height has been reported to be greater in scoliotic children (Willner 1972) but @ 198 zyx 1 Munksgaard, Copenhagen Acta Orthop Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 114.80.100.216 on 05/20/14 For personal use only.