The lifetime risk of pneumonia in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis at a mean age of 21 years: the role of spinal deformity surgery.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Patients with neuromuscular disorders often have an increased risk of pneumonia and decreased lung function, which may further be compromised by scoliosis. Scoliosis surgery may improve pulmonary function in otherwise healthy patients, but no study has evaluated its effect on the risk of pneumonia in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS).

Methods

The patient charts of 42 patients (mean age 14.6 years) who had undergone surgery for severe NMS (mean scoliosis 86°) were retrospectively reviewed from birth to a mean of 6.1 years (range 2.8-9.5) after scoliosis surgery. The main outcome was radiographically confirmed pneumonia as a primary cause for hospitalization. We excluded postoperative (3 months) pneumonia from the analyses.

Results

The lifetime annu

SUBMITTER: Keskinen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4619373 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature