Ethnic Variation in Satisfaction and Appearance Concerns in Adolescents With Idiopathic Scoliosis Undergoing Posterior Spinal Fusion With Instrumentation.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: Cohort analysis. OBJECTIVE: Document satisfaction with management and appearance concerns in children of different ethnicity who underwent spinal fusion/instrumentation for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Scoliosis Research Society Questionnaire (SRS-30) outcomes in AIS indicate a link between appearance and satisfaction as well as ethnic variation in appearance domain. Exploration of these findings in the Scoliosis Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ) will allow better understanding of ethnic variation in appearance concerns. METHODS: Children with AIS who underwent posterior-only operations and completed the SAQ's question 31 were identified. Univariate logistic regression of SAQ questions 12-30 was used to assess relationships with ethnicity. RESULTS: 1,977 children [boys 281, girls 1,290, unspecified 406; average age 15.1 ± 2.0 years preoperatively and 817 children (boys 113, girls 569, unspecified 135; average age 15.1 ± 2.0 years) at 2 years' follow-up met inclusion criteria. The majority were Caucasian (57.3%). Few were Hispanic (3.4%). Preoperatively, the largest percentage of patients in each ethnic group answered "very true" to "wanting to be more even." Preoperatively, Asians were least likely to be concerned about evenness of shoulders, hips, waist, ribs, and chest in back (p < .05); however, they expressed greatest concern about height (p < .05). African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be concerned about breast evenness and anterior chest and looking better in clothes (p < .05). African Americans were most concerned about overall evenness and evenness of shoulders, hips, waist, ribs, posterior chest, leg length, and looking more attractive (p < .05). Surgical scar was most important postoperatively for all ethnicities. African Americans and Hispanics were more self-conscious about scar (p < .05). African Americans were most likely to want to be more even and have more even shoulders, hips, waist, leg lengths, ribs, breasts, and chest postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnicity influenced appearance concerns in pre- and postoperative SAQ evaluation. Ethnic variation in appearance concerns should be taken into account and differentiated when counseling patients about AIS and surgical correction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.