Computerized tomographic study about the effect of neurocentral cartilage on the etio-pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis / 中华外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analysis the potential effect of neurocentral cartilage (NCC) on the etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty patients with AIS (Group A) and 30 control subject with normal spine (Group B) were included in this study. The age is matched. Both groups were divided into two subgroups according to the age and each subgroup has 15 patients. The younger patients were put into subgroup A1, B1 and the older patients put into subgroup A2, B2. Computed tomography (CT) scanning was carried and the pedicle length, the angle composed by pedicle and vertebral midline (alpha) and the angle composed by NCC and vertebral midline (beta) at periapical vertebrae (T7-T10) were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The pedicle length showed no significant difference between group A and group B or between subgroup A1 and A2 or between B1 and B2. In each subgroup, no significant difference was found in alpha angle or beta angle between left side and right side (concave side and convex side).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>No significant pedicle growth has been found during pubertal both in AIS and normal patients. Few affect of neurocentral cartilage on the etiology of AIS has been found, which might because of low growth activity of NCC during puberty.</p>