The Prevalence of Postoperative Pain in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis and the Association with Preoperative Pain.

The goal of surgical correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AID) is to obtain a balanced 3-D correction of the deformity and achieving a solid arthrodesis. The aim of this study was to understand the prevalence of postoperative pain and its impact on patient-report postoperative outcomes.

Five hundred and eighty-four patients were included in this study with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) questionnaires were used to evaluate the pain frequency, severity, medication usage and impact on school attendance. The population was divided in a group with- and without postoperative pain. The results on the SRS questionnaires were compared between these groups.

In the two postoperative years 41 patients (7%) still experienced pain without an obvious cause. The preoperative SRS scores on the pain domain were significant worse in this group compared to the pain-free group. The patients with unexplained pain also had significant worse scores 2 years postoperative on the SRS scores in all the domains with exception on function compared to the pain free group. > From: Bastrom et al., Spine (Phila Pa 1976) (2013) (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

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