RESUMO
STUDY DESIGN: A molecular biological study of intercostal muscles and intervertebral disc cells of Korean scoliosis patients. OBJECTIVES: To study the pathological results of intercostal muscles and molecular biological activity of intervertebral disc cells of the scoliotic major curve in Korean patients. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW : The cause of idiopathic scoliosis has been investigated in terms of many parameters. Although, molecular biological studies of intercostal muscles and intervertebral disc cells have been performed in foreign countries, few studies have been conducted in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients, one male and nine female, who underwent thoracoscopic surgery were reviewed. The age range was 13 to 23 years old. Intercostal muscles were taken from the portal site of the major curve (1x1 cm sized). Ten tissues were stained with H/E and ATPase immunohistochemical staining. An appropriate amount of intervertebral disc was taken from the major curve of three scoliotic patients and each concentration of collagen type I, II, GAG gene and proteoglycan synthesis activity was measured. The results were compared with those of grade 0 and grade II degenerative change on each MRI. RESULTS: The intercostal muscle of scoliotic patients showed 60.4+/-8.4% in type I muscle fiber and 39.6+/-8.8% in type II-A. These results were not different from those of previous studies. The size of muscle fiber was 48-65 microns, which was slightly smaller than the absolute value, but the difference was not statistically significant. The amount of produced proteoglycans was slightly higher in the intervertebral disc cells of scoliotic patients, the total amount of collagen was significantly lower and there was a difference in the production of type II collagen. CONCLUSIONS: The intercostal muscles were not affected by the muscle of scoliotic patients and there was no molecular biological significant difference between control and scoliotic patients. We can assume that scoliosis was not caused by problems of intervertebral disc or intercostal muscles.