Treatment method of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis did not affect emotional function
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SAN DIEGO — Patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis had no significant change in behavior or emotional function regardless of treatment, according to results presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
Lindsay Andras, MD, and colleagues divided patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis into groups based on whether they received bracing, surgical or observational treatment. All patients completed the Behavioral Assessment Survey for Children (BASC-2) before and 2 years after treatment, and parents were given an equivalent assessment survey, according to researchers.
Overall, patients reported a high incidence of emotional concerns at baseline, with no changes reported in any of the treatment groups by 2-year follow-up, according to Andras.
“If I had been predicting, I would have said that bracing might have some issues and surgery might have, over time, some improvement, but they were essentially nearly identical,” Andras, director of the spine program and vice chief of pediatric orthopedics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, told Healio Orthopedics.
However, she noted parents reported a normal assessment in two-thirds of cases in the severe group.
“So, they did not have concerns about where their child’s mental health was at in accordance with this survey,” Andras said.
Results showed the common patient-reported subscales for clinically significant and at risk scores at enrollment included anxiety, hyperactivity, attention problems and self-esteem. Researchers also found anxiety, somatization and self-esteem as the most commonly reported subscales at 2-year follow-up.
“[These results] heightened an already present concern about the emotional health and well-being of children that are undergoing [adolescent idiopathic scoliosis] AIS treatment and highlight a need for us as providers to reach out to both our patients and their parents to see how everyone is coping,” Andras said.
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Jalloh H, et al. Paper 372. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 2021; San Diego.
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