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- Talk
- 22/09/2022
- UK
What Is the Rate of Degenerative Disc Disease in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis? Does it Impact SRS-22 Scores? A Review of 968 Cases
Description
The presentation by Conor Boyland, a foundation doctor in Sheffield, discusses research conducted during his medical studies in Birmingham regarding adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and its correlation with disc degenerative disease. The study aims to establish a baseline prevalence of disc degeneration in non-operative patients with AIS, noting that while prior studies have highlighted post-surgical degeneration rates, there is a lack of data on pre-operative rates.
Boyland explains the significance of understanding AIS, which is a prevalent form of scoliosis in children, manifesting in spinal deformities that may require various treatments, including spinal arthrodesis for severe cases. He highlights findings that indicate about 10% of the studied patients exhibited some disc degeneration, with clinically significant degeneration present in approximately 3% of cases as classified by Pfirrmann grading.
The research included nearly 1,000 patients, correlating MRI findings with self-reported symptomatology from the SRS-22 questionnaire. Results showed worse function, pain, and self-image scores among those with disc degeneration. Limitations of the study were acknowledged, including its retrospective design and the challenges in controlling confounding variables. Boyland concludes that MRI is a useful tool for assessing scoliosis and suggests that the findings can inform patient counseling and future surgical outcome studies.