ABSTRACT

The most common treatment method used for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is posterior instrumentation and fusion. Curvature correction does not always coincide with the life quality of the patient. There are several surveys used to evaluate the life quality of scoliosis patients. The most commonly used survey, approved in terms of reliability and validity, is the SRS-22 survey, which is available in Turkish. In this study, the effect of distal fusion levels on life quality was evaluated for patients who received posterior fusion. The patients, who had previously received scoliosis surgery, were requested to complete the Turkish version of the SRS-22 survey when they came for a follow-up appointment between April 2009 and November 2012. Patients with at least two years of follow-up after surgery were included in the study. After completing the survey, the patients were evaluated radiologically for lumbar residual deformation. The patients were grouped by distal fusion level, as L1, L2, L3 or L4.

The distal fusion level was L1 in ten patients, L2 in 17 patients, L3 in 14 patients and L4 in seven patients. The mean patient age was 17.3 ± 2.4 years and the mean follow-up period was 37.2 ± 18.2 months. There were no statistically significant differences between the patients’ residual deformations. While the scores for pain were the lowest in the L4 group, the scores for personal appearance were highest. The function-activity score was highest for the L1 group and lowest for the L4 group. No statistically significant differences were detected between the groups in terms of mental health and satisfaction from treatment.

In conclusion, this suggests that there is a relationship between fusion level and life quality, based on the results of the SRS-22 survey.