Scoliotic curve patterns in patients with Marfan syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Cases of "non-idiopathic" scoliosis are deemed atypical. These require a comprehensive work-up in order to choose the best treatment (and to determine an extent of fusion if needed). Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a genetic disease often marked with the presence of scoliosis, which is poorly described in the literature. Knowing that the clinical diagnosis of MFS is not always obvious, we investigated how atypical the scoliosis associated with MFS was when compared with that of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).


METHODS
In our series, we included 30 patients diagnosed with MFS. Each patient was proposed to undergo a plain radiographic examination of the spine. Scoliotic patients were classified according to the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) curve pattern classification. Curve patterns with a very low rate of occurrence in historic control were defined as "atypical".


RESULTS
A total of 19 patients were defined as scoliotic. In 9 cases, the curve pattern was atypical. In the other 10, the curve pattern was typical, but a fine analysis revealed some atypical features in the position of the apex and end vertebrae.


CONCLUSIONS
Scoliosis associated with MFS was found to be atypical in all cases. This supports the idea that an atypical curve pattern should be considered as an argument in favour of a non-idiopathic aetiology and, therefore, an appropriate work-up should be performed before deciding treatment.
Glard
Yann
Y
Service de Chirurgie Orthopédique Infantile, Hôpital d'Enfants de la Timone, 245 Rue St Pierre, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France, yann.glard@gmail.com.
Launay
Franck
F
Edgard-Rosa
Grégory
G
Collignon
Patrick
P
Jouve
Jean-Luc
JL
Bollini
Gérard
G