Obstructive lung disease in children with idiopathic scoliosis.

Objective To measure the prevalence of obstructive lung disease (OLD) among patients undergoing preoperative pulmonary assessment for idiopathic scoliosis. Study design This was a retrospective, descriptive review from clinical data in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in the US. Patients (n = 176) with idiopathic scoliosis with Cobb angles of >= 40 degrees who performed acceptable and repeatable preoperative pulmonary function testing were included. The primary outcome measure was the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio. Results The prevalence of OLD (low FEV1/FVC ratio) was 39% (68/176 patients). In multivariate modeling, radiographic measures were poor predictors of pulmonary function outcomes of FVC (r(2) 0.06), FEV1 (r(2) 0.05), FEV1/FVC ratio (r(2) 0.08), and total lung capacity (r(2) 0.06). Conclusions OLD is common in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. We recommend preoperative pulmonary function testing for patients with idiopathic scoliosis under consideration for spinal fusion surgery.