Scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders

Hundred-seventy patients with the 4 commonest degenerative neuro-muscular disorders (limbgirdle and Duchenne muscular dystrphy, Kugelberg-Welander's spinal muscular atrophy and peroneal muscular atrophy) were screened for scoliosis, which was found in 56%. Of 76 patients in the early stages of their respective disorders (stages 1-6 of Gardner-Medwin and Walton), scoliosis was found in 72%. The incidence of scoliosis was not related to the duration or degree of clinical weakness. Morphologically, scoliosis in these disorders was not found to differ from idiopathic scoliosis. Neither side nor site of the scoliosis were related to the distribution of muscle weakness as determined by manual testing.