Multiparameter pilot study of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Seventy-two adolescent females with idiopathic scoliosis were studied to determine the possible relationships between parameters previously studied by others, as well as several new parameters. Dichotic listening tests showed that patients with less right-ear advantage for language were more likely to have progressive curves than patients with greater right-ear advantage, implying a difference in hemispheral dominance between the two groups. This finding, if confirmed with larger populations, could lead to a prognostic test for the determination of therapeutic modality. Platelet aggregation was found to be lower than in a group of controls; however, similar findings were also obtained from a group of patients with chronic orthopaedic conditions. Mitral valve prolapse, the electroencephalogram and the mother's age at patient's birth were all found to be nonspecific for the patients as compared to control groups. The level of autonomic system activity in the patients was found to be higher than that observed in controls.