Evaluation of cervical lordosis in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

ABSTRACT Introduction: In healthy individuals and in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the curvature of the cervical spine varies greatly, with approximately 36-40% of AIS patients having kyphosis of the cervical spine. Aim: To assess the curvature of the cervical spine in AIS patients and subgroups according to Lenke’s classification (1 to 6). Methods: 107 patients with AIS were assessed for cervical lordosis (C2-C7) using the Cobb method, subdivided into lordosis and cervical kyphosis. The following parameters were assessed and compared between the subgroups: T5-T12 thoracic kyphosis (TK); L1-S1 lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), T1 pelvic angle (TPA), C2-C7 cervical lordosis, C1-C2 cervical lordosis, T1 slope (T1s), neck tilt, thoracic inlet angle (TIA) and cervical sagittal axis (CSVA). Results: Kyphosis of the cervical spine was observed in 48% of patients. The Lenke classification curves (1 to 6) showed no difference with regard to the curvature of the cervical spine. In the subgroup with cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, and T1 slope were significantly higher. Neck tilt was significantly higher in the subgroup with kyphosis. Conclusions: Almost half of the patients have kyphosis of the cervical spine, and the curvature of the cervical spine in AIS patients varies widely. Thoracic kyphosis, T1 slope, and neck tilt are significantly different between the subgroups of patients with lordosis or kyphosis. Level of Evidence III; Observational and Retrospective Study.