[Long-term follow-up in patients with idiopathic scoliosis]

The study concludes the results of the clinical and radiological follow-up of 51 patients with idiopathic scoliosis after 20-36 years (mean of 24.5 years). The aim of the study was to find out which parameters can give an answer at the beginning about the expectable prognosis of the scoliosis. Most of all rotation of the apex vertebra, the skeletal maturity and the curve pattern of the scoliosis are a precise factor for prognosis. The term "scoliosis in babies" should be left, because these benign spontaneously resolving type of scoliosis can appear in the second age, too. To separate them from the infantile scoliosis, which often has a bad natural history the term "oblique position scoliosis" should be used instead of scoliosis in babies.