title: Sagittal Spinopelvic Parameters of Young Children With Scoliosis.
abstract: METHODS
  Retrospective, multicenter review of the spinopelvic parameters in young children with scoliosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis in young children with scoliosis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The natural history of spinopelvic parameters has been defined for the first 10 years of life in normal children; however, they have not been described for children with scoliosis. Such information is important because these values can be used as a baseline for the assessment of radiographic outcomes after surgical intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven measures of sagittal alignment were taken from standing lateral radiographs of 80 children with scoliosis (coronal Cobb angle greater than 50°) and compared with age-matched normal children described in the literature. Statistical analysis was performed using 2-tailed Student t tests (level of significance = .05) and Pearson correlation coefficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients had a mean age of 4.8 years (range, 1-10 years) and a mean Cobb angle of 72.0° ± 16°. Mean sagittal spine parameters were sagittal balance (2.2 ± 4 cm), thoracic kyphosis (38.0° ± 20.8°), and lumbar lordosis (49.0° ± 16.6°). These values were similar to those of children without scoliosis. Mean sagittal pelvic parameters were: pelvic incidence (46.5° ± 15.8°), pelvic tilt (10.7° ± 13.6°), sacral slope (35.5° ± 12.1°), and pelvic radius (55.7° ± 21.3°). Pelvic incidence was not significantly different from that of age-matched normal children; however, pelvic tilt was significantly higher and sacral slope was significantly lower in children with scoliosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sagittal plane spine parameters and some pelvic parameters were similar for young children with scoliosis versus age-matched normal children; however, children with scoliosis showed signs of increased pelvic tilt and decreased sacral slope. These values can be used as a baseline for both the natural history and the assessment of radiographic outcomes after surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre, 5850 University Avenue, P.O. Box 9700, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K-6R8, Canada. Electronic address: ron.el-hawary@iwk.nshealth.ca.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: El-Hawary
authors.affiliation: Crawford Spine Center, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave. MLC 2017, Cincinnati, OH 45239, USA.
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Surgery, Shriners Hospital Philadelphia, Shriners Hospital Outpatnt Clinic, 3551 N Broad St Suite 4, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cahill
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Surgery, Shriners Hospital Philadelphia, Shriners Hospital Outpatnt Clinic, 3551 N Broad St Suite 4, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA.
authors.forename: Amer F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Samdani
authors.affiliation: Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University, 116th Street and Broadway New York, NY, 10027 USA.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Surgery, A. I. duPont Institute, 1600 Rockland Rd, Wilmington, DE, 19803, USA.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Gabos
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Specialists, LLC807 N Haddon Ave Suite 1, Haddonfield, NJ, 08033, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Bodin
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospital Portland, Children Orthpaedics, 3101 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: d'Amato
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, United States, 2005-2009.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre, 5850 University Avenue, P.O. Box 9700, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K-6R8, Canada.
authors.forename: Jason J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre & Dalhousie University Division of Neurosurgery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 6R8, Canada.
authors.forename: Susan H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Primary Children's Hospital, Pediatric Orthopaedics, 100 N Mario Capecchi Drive, Suite 4550, Salt Lake City, UT, 84113, USA.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Smith
keywords: Baseline measures; Early-onset scoliosis; Prognosis; Sagittal plane spinopelvic parameters; Surgical treatment