Height of girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

In a Finnish population, the standing height of 1500 consecutive female patients aged 9-24 years (mean 13.9 years) with untreated idiopathic scoliosis of at least 10 degrees in their lateral curves was compared with the standing height of average girls. The mean magnitude of the major curves was 29.4 degrees (range 10 degrees-80 degrees), and that of the minor curves 20.3 degrees (range 0 degrees-66 degrees). A formula for the height loss caused by the lateral curves, and that caused by thoracic kyphosis, was derived. The corrected height of the girls with idiopathic scoliosis was highly significantly (P<0.001) greater than the height of average girls at the age of 11-15, and this high level of significance was present at the age of 11-13, even without correcting for the height loss caused by scoliosis. After maturation, the girls with idiopathic scoliosis were not significantly taller than average girls. On average, the magnitude of thoracic kyphosis did not affect the height of patients with scoliosis as compared with the height of normal girls of the same age.