Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis at Least 40 Years After Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to clarify the health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients who had adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) at a minimum of 40 years after surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The postoperative health-related QOL of middle-aged patients with AIS has been reported to be good, but that of middle-aged and older patients with AIS has yet to be completely explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 179 patients with AIS who underwent spinal fusion(s) between 1968 and 1982. We conducted three surveys in 2009, 2014, and 2022. Patients self-administered both the Scoliosis Research Society-22 and the Roland-Morris Disability questionnaires three times (in 2009, 2014, and 2022) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire was self-administered in 2014 and 2022. We considered patients who responded to all three surveys in 2009, 2014, and 2022. RESULTS: For the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaires, no significant differences were detected among the three time points (2009, 2014, and 2022) for total scores, function domain, pain domain, self-image domain, mental domain, or satisfaction domain. The results of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire were also not significantly different among the surveys over time. The ODI questionnaires revealed a significant worsening of the 2022 results compared with the 2014 results. Eight patients (29.6%) who had an ODI deterioration of 10% or more had numerically fewer mobile lumbar disks than those with <10% deterioration of the ODI, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Among patients with AIS who underwent spinal fusion(s) between 1968 and 1982, we found health-related QOL to be maintained over the last 13 years. Relatively good QOL was appreciated in this population of patients who are now middle-aged and older.