Effectiveness of Selective Thoracic Fusion in the Surgical Treatment of Syringomyelia-associated Scoliosis

Study Design. A retrospective case-control study Objective. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of selective thoracic fusion in the surgical treatment of patients with syringomyelia-associated scoliosis. Summary of Background Data. Selective thoracic fusion technique was introduced to treat idiopathic scoliosis patients with major thoracic curve. Theoretically, such therapeutic philosophy could be applied to syringomyelia patients. There is no previous study that specifically addresses the effectiveness of selective thoracic fusion in patients with syringomyelia-associated scoliosis. Methods. Two groups of scoliosis patients were enrolled, including 52 patients with syringomyelia-associated scoliosis and 52 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Selective thoracic fusion was performed for both groups. Radiographic parameters including Cobb angle, apical vertebral translation, trunk shift, thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis, and sagittal vertical axis were measured on the standing posteroanterior and lateral radiographs before surgery, 1 week postoperatively and at the final follow-up, respectively. Inter- and intragroup comparisons were performed for each variable. Results. Patients of the two groups were matched in terms of age, sex, fusion levels, duration of follow-up, and all preoperative radiographic parameters except for TK. At the final follow-up, the coronal correction of the thoracic curve was comparable between the two groups (58.8 ± 10.2% vs. 61.3 ± 8.7%, P = 0.25). Moreover, the two groups were observed to have a similar improvement of lumbar curve (62.4 ± 7.3% vs. 64.9 ± 6.9%, P = 0.33). The mean correction loss of thoracic curve and lumbar curve in syringomyelia group were 3.6 ± 3.2% and 5.3 ± 1.8% respectively, showing no statistical difference when compared with those of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis group. The sagittal spinal alignments of the two groups, including TK and lumbar lordosis, were similarly maintained during the follow-up. Conclusion. Syringomyelia-associated scoliosis can be successfully corrected through selective thoracic fusion surgery with a promising long-term surgical outcome. Level of Evidence: 3