Electroencephalographic investigation of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

An EEG study was carried out on 57 children, aged 10--16 years, with idiopathic scoliosis. Treatment (brace or surgery) was required in 37 cases; 20 were being observed only. Controls were 10- to 16-year-old healthy children meeting well-defined criteria of normality. Thirty-four of the scoliotics fulfilled these criteria, thus providing a group matching the controls except for the presence of scoliosis. Thus, any differences occurring could, with reasonable probability, be referred to the disease in question. The comparison with healthy children showed a generally greater EEG pathology in the scoliotics. This was the case in all patients, even those meeting the same criteria of normality as the controls. A highly significant difference was noted in the occurrence of paroxysmal activity. Type and localization of abnormally (bilaterally synchronous discharges) indicated involvement of subcortical structures. Comparison within the scoliotic group showed that EEG abnormalities were not correlated with the magnitude of the disease except for the variable "paroxysmal activity at rest". Patients submitted to observation only presented paroxysmal activity significantly more often than patients requiring treatment. The localization of abnormality within the hemispheres did not agree or disagree systematically with the convexity of the curve. A possible relationship between the higher incidence of scoliosis in females and the higher sensitivity to afferent stimuli as found in the female EEG is also discussed.