title: Small vertebral cross-sectional area and tall intervertebral disc in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When compared to boys, girls have smaller vertebral cross-sectional area, which conveys a greater spinal flexibility, and a higher prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that small vertebral cross-sectional area and tall intervertebral disc height are structural characteristics of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using multiplanar imaging techniques, measures of vertebral cross-sectional area, vertebral height and intervertebral disc height in the lumbar spine were obtained in 35 pairs of girls and 11 pairs of boys with and without adolescent idiopathic scoliosis of the thoracic spine matched for age, height and weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to adolescents without spinal deformity, girls and boys with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis had, on average, 9.8% (6.68 ± 0.81 vs. 7.40 ± 0.99 cm(2); P = 0.0007) and 13.9% (8.22 ± 0.84 vs. 9.55 ± 1.61 cm(2); P = 0.009) smaller vertebral cross-sectional dimensions, respectively. Additionally, patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis had significantly greater values for intervertebral disc heights (9.06 ± 0.85 vs. 7.31 ± 0.62 mm and 9.09 ± 0.87 vs. 7.61 ± 1.00 mm for girls and boys respectively; both P ≤ 0.011). Multiple regression analysis indicated that the presence of scoliosis was negatively associated with vertebral cross-sectional area and positively with intervertebral disc height, independent of sex, age and body mass index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide new evidence that girls and boys with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have significantly smaller vertebral cross-sectional area and taller intervertebral disc heights - two major structural determinants that influence trunk flexibility. With appropriate validation, these findings may have implications for the identification of children at the highest risk for developing scoliosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, MS #81, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA.
authors.forename: Skorn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ponrartana
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, MS #81, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA.
authors.forename: Carissa L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, MS #81, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Aggabao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Chavez
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Broom
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Tishya A L
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wren
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Skaggs
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, MS #81, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA. vgilsanz@chla.usc.edu.|Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. vgilsanz@chla.usc.edu.|Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. vgilsanz@chla.usc.edu.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gilsanz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Children; Computed tomography; Intervertebral disc; Magnetic resonance imaging; Morphology; Scoliosis; Spine; Vertebra