Objective: To measure the prevalence of obstructive lung disease (OLD) among patients undergoing preoperative pulmonary assessment for idiopathic scoliosis.
Study design: This was a retrospective, descriptive review from clinical data in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in the US. Patients (n = 176) with idiopathic scoliosis with Cobb angles of ≥ 40 degrees who performed acceptable and repeatable preoperative pulmonary function testing were included. The primary outcome measure was the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio.
Results: The prevalence of OLD (low FEV1/FVC ratio) was 39% (68/176 patients). In multivariate modeling, radiographic measures were poor predictors of pulmonary function outcomes of FVC (r(2) 0.06), FEV1 (r(2) 0.05), FEV1/FVC ratio (r(2) 0.08), and total lung capacity (r(2) 0.06).
Conclusions: OLD is common in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. We recommend preoperative pulmonary function testing for patients with idiopathic scoliosis under consideration for spinal fusion surgery.
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