[Idiopathic scoliosis: evaluation of the results]

Natural history studies in idiopathic scoliosis must be known to assess the effectiveness of treatment. Natural history is better known to day for mild angulations but as far as scoliosis are operated on for greater angulations natural history of scoliotic population with Cobb angle greater than fifty degrees is less and less available. Effectiveness of school screening is debated because of over-referral of either non scoliotic children or patient with mild non evolutive scoliosis. Attempt to find any criteria for evolutive scoliosis was disappointing. Only scoliosis with Cobb angle greater than thirty five degrees during growth spurt is defined as an evolutive scoliosis with a 95% confidence interval. Scoliotic curves show a tendency to progress even during adult life especially if the Cobb angle is over thirty degrees at skeletal maturity. Effectiveness of bracing is established for Cobb angle over thirty degrees. Comparing natural history and the results of bracing for mild idiopathic scoliosis controversies remain according to the effectiveness of bracing. Scoliotic population is more at risk for back pain than a population based control group. In severe idiopathic scoliosis non operated patients ar more at risk for back pain than operated one. Multi-hooks systems used for surgical correction of scoliosis are helpful in term of coronal plan correction but no system effectively derotates the spine. Scoliotic population experiences significatively more back pain than control group. There is a higher prevalence of negative perception of health but a more positive perception of self in the scoliotic population compared to a control group.