The preliminary study of the efficiency of using cervical vertebral maturation of growth level of female adolescent idiopathic scoliosis / 中华外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To investigate the reliability of cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) and to verify the possibility in the growth evaluation of female adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients as a helpful supplementary to the Risser sign.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Coronal and lateral full-length spine X-ray film and left hand-wrist radiographs of 77 female adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis were selected from January 2010 to October 2010. The interval period between lateral length of the spine and left hand-wrist radiographs did not exceed 3 months. The CVM was assessed by a method developed by Baccetti and co-workers, whereas hand-wrist maturation was assessed by Fishman's method. The results were analyzed by Spearman correlation with patients Risser sign, chronological age, and menarche period.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were strong correlations between CVM and SMI or Risser sign (r = 0.862 and 0.762, P < 0.01). While in 26 patients whose Risser sign were 0-I, the correlation between CVM and SMI was more pronounced (r = 0.761, P < 0.01), compared with the correlation between Risser sign and SMI (r = 0.641, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CVM is a valid indicator of skeletal growth evaluation and can be used as a helpful supplementary to Risser sign.</p>