title: [Characteristic of somatosensory evoked potentials in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and relationship with Cobb angle].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the abnormality of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with different curve magnitudes, and to explore its effect on the etiopathogenesis of AIS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Posterior tibial nerve SEPs were evaluated on 489 young operative treated AIS patients with a Cobb angle >40 degrees and 45 age-matched healthy control individuals. Absence of SEPs waveforms, prolongation of peek latency or asymmetrical peek latency were defined as pathological change. Base on the control reference, the incidence of pathological SEPs was determined in AIS group. The association of abnormal SEPs and curve severity for AIS patients was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Peek latency corrected for body height was slightly longer in AIS patients than in controls, however, with no significant difference. Inter side difference of latency was significantly larger in AIS patients. Abnormal SEPs were found in 166 of 489 AIS patients. Among these, 17 (10.2%) showed absent waveforms, 50 (30.1%) had unilateral latency prolongation, 38 (22.9%) had bilateral latency prolongation, and 120 (72.3%) showed significant inter side difference. Statistical analysis failed to show a correlation between abnormal SEPs and the curve severity of spinal deformity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disorder of somatosensory pathways does exist in a subgroup of AIS patients, and it might be a primary factor other than secondary change, and could play an import role in the etiopathogenesis of AIS.
authors: Department of Spine Surgery, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China. scoliosis2002@sina.com.cn
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Qiu
authors: Zhi-jun
authors: ZJ
authors: Chen
authors: Wei-wei
authors: WW
authors: Ma
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Wang
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Yu
authors: Ze-zhang
authors: ZZ
authors: Zhu
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Zhu
authors: Bang-ping
authors: BP
authors: Qian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult