The Study Of Correlation Of The Dural Sac At The Apex Vertebra And Of The Cobb Angle In Thoracic Scoliosis

Objective:To study the correlation of the dural sac at the apex vertebra and the cobb angle in thoracic scoliosis.There is paucity of the vertebral in patients with scoliosis.Methods:23 cases of scoliosis including 11 cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 12 cases of congenital scoliosis were studied,The apical vertebrae were from T5 to T12(T5 lcase,T6 lcase,T8 4cases,T10 lcase,T11 10cases,T12 3cases);The average age at the presentation was 11.7±1.7 years(range 1.5year to 20year);All of them had MRI and anteroposteror raiograph.The widths of the dural sac and the vertebral canal were detected at the apical vertebral.The ratio of them were caculated.The Cobb angle of the thoracic spine was determined with the Cobb method.Results:Magnrtic resonance imaging was ordered for 23 cases who were evaluated.The dura sac at the vertebra was seen in the 23 patients who under went imaging.The average Cobb angle was 47.43°±1.3°(range20°-80°)A distinct correlation between the thoracic dural sac and cobb angle was found, r=0.900,p=0.000＜0.001,correlation is significant.Conclusion:The thoracic dural sac in scoliosis is associated with the cobb angle.The width of the dural is wider when the Cobb angle is bigger.Care must be taken during pedicle-screw instrumentation,especially in the apical region of the concavity of thoracic curves.MRI,CT exzamination can provide valuable information for linical diagnosis and treatment.