STUDY DESIGN: A prospective multicenter study and retrospective chart review. OBJECTIVE: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures and sagittal deformity in operative Scheuermann kyphosis (SK), operative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and normal populations. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: No study to date has evaluated patient reported HRQOL measures before surgery in operative patients with SK. METHODS: HRQOL data were prospectively collected pretreatment for operative patients with SK using the SRS-22 outcomes instrument and visual analogue scale (VAS). Comparison was made with the SRS-22 from operative AIS and normal populations. Eighty-six patients with SK enrolled in the prospective study were compared with 184 patients with AIS from a prospective database and 31 normal controls. To study the correlation between T5-T12 kyphosis magnitude and SRS-22 score, patients with AIS and SK were pooled together to create a larger continuum of kyphosis. Analysis of covariance, Pearson correlation analysis, and Bonferroni pairwise comparisons were used to determine statistical differences between group demographics, HRQOL indicators, and radiographical variables. RESULTS: Patients with SK had significantly lower scores in all domains of the SRS-22 than patients with AIS. Patients with SK with a thoracolumbar apex reported significantly lower mean scores in the pain domain than those with a thoracic apex. Significant negative correlations were found between all domains of the SRS-22 and T5-T12 kyphosis-the self-image domain demonstrated the highest correlation (r = 0.37). VAS score in the SK population correlated negatively to the pain, self-image, and mental health domains. CONCLUSION: Increasing sagittal plane deformity as a result of SK has a significant impact on HRQOL as determined by the SRS-22 outcome instrument. In this study, patients with SK reported significantly decreased (worse) scores in all subdomains of the SRS-22 compared with patients with AIS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1.
STUDY DESIGN: A prospective multicenter study and retrospective chart review. OBJECTIVE: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures and sagittal deformity in operative Scheuermann kyphosis (SK), operative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and normal populations. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: No study to date has evaluated patient reported HRQOL measures before surgery in operative patients with SK. METHODS: HRQOL data were prospectively collected pretreatment for operative patients with SK using the SRS-22 outcomes instrument and visual analogue scale (VAS). Comparison was made with the SRS-22 from operative AIS and normal populations. Eighty-six patients with SK enrolled in the prospective study were compared with 184 patients with AIS from a prospective database and 31 normal controls. To study the correlation between T5-T12 kyphosis magnitude and SRS-22 score, patients with AIS and SK were pooled together to create a larger continuum of kyphosis. Analysis of covariance, Pearson correlation analysis, and Bonferroni pairwise comparisons were used to determine statistical differences between group demographics, HRQOL indicators, and radiographical variables. RESULTS:Patients with SK had significantly lower scores in all domains of the SRS-22 than patients with AIS. Patients with SK with a thoracolumbar apex reported significantly lower mean scores in the pain domain than those with a thoracic apex. Significant negative correlations were found between all domains of the SRS-22 and T5-T12 kyphosis-the self-image domain demonstrated the highest correlation (r = 0.37). VAS score in the SK population correlated negatively to the pain, self-image, and mental health domains. CONCLUSION: Increasing sagittal plane deformity as a result of SK has a significant impact on HRQOL as determined by the SRS-22 outcome instrument. In this study, patients with SK reported significantly decreased (worse) scores in all subdomains of the SRS-22 compared with patients with AIS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1.