Significant improvements in long-term health-related quality of life seen
TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Scoliosis surgery in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) leads to a significant improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is maintained five years following surgery, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Firoz Miyanji, M.D., from the British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues assessed the benefits of spinal fusion in terms of HRQoL improvement at long-term follow-up. Study participants consisted of 69 consecutive patients (mean age 13.4 years) with CP who underwent scoliosis surgery.
The researchers found that the major Cobb angle was a mean of 81.9 degrees preoperatively and improved to a mean of 28.7 degrees at two years and 30.7 degrees at five years postoperatively. At all time points there was significant improvements in Caregiver Priorities and Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities (CPCHILD) scores for personal care, positioning, and comfort domains. There was a significant mean increase in the total score at one year (P < 0.001) that was maintained at two and five years postoperatively. At all time points there was no correlation between complications and CPCHILD scores, with the exception being a weak correlation with CPCHILD comfort score at one year after surgery (P = 0.002).
“Scoliosis surgery in patients with CP leads to a significant improvement in HRQoL, which is maintained five years following surgery,” the authors write. “The substantial complication rate does not correlate with HRQoL changes postoperatively, suggesting that the benefits of surgery outweigh the risks in this fragile population.”
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