• Jae-Young Hong, Seung-Woo Suh, Hitesh N Modi, Jong-Woong Park, and Jung-Ho Park.
• Department of Orthopedics, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, South Korea.
• Spine. 2011 Aug 15;36(18):E1233-9.

Study DesignProspective radiological analysis of patients with achondroplasia.ObjectiveTo analyze sagittal spinal alignment and pelvic orientation in achondroplasia patients.Summary Of Background DataKnowledge of sagittal spinopelvic parameters is important for the treatment of achondroplasia, because they differ from those of the normal population and can induce pain.MethodsThe study and control groups were composed of 32 achondroplasia patients and 24 healthy volunteers, respectively. All underwent lateral radiography of the whole spine including hip joints. The radiographic parameters examined were sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence (PI), S1 overhang, thoracic kyphosis, T10-L2 kyphosis, lumbar lordosis (LL1, LL2), and sagittal balance. Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant differences between the two groups. In addition, correlations between parameters and symptoms were sought.ResultsSagittal spinopelvic parameters, namely, pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence, S1 overhang, thoracic kyphosis, T10-L2 kyphosis, lumbar lordosis 1 and sagittal balance were found to be significantly different in the patient and control groups (P < 0.05). In addition, sagittal parameters were found to be related to each other in the patient group (P < 0.05), that is, PI was related to SS and pelvic tilt, and LL was related to thoracic kyphosis. Furthermore, in terms of relations between spinal and pelvic parameters, LL was related to SS and PI, and sagittal balance was related to SS and PI. Furthermore, LL and T10-L2 kyphosis were found to be related to pain (P < 0.05), whereas no other parameter was found to be related to VAS scores.ConclusionSagittal parameters and possible relationships between sagittal parameters and symptoms were found to be significantly different in achondroplasia patients and normal healthy controls. The present study shows that sagittal spinal and pelvic parameters can assist the treatment of spinal disorders in achondroplasia patients.

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