• Thomas Niemeyer, Albert Schulze Bövingloh, Sarah Grieb, Jürgen Schaefer, Henry Halm, and Torsten Kluba.
• Spine Service, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospital Tübingen, Tubingen, Germany. thomas.niemeyer@med.uni-tuebingen.de
• Int Orthop. 2005 Feb 1; 29 (1): 47-50.

AbstractWe reviewed 41 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treated with spinal fusion and Harrington instrumentation between 1973 and 1992. The mean follow-up was 23 (11-30) years. All patients completed self-administered questionnaires, Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Score (ODS), Roland Morris score (RLS), and Visual Analog Pain Intensity Scale (VAS). We found a high degree of satisfaction with more than three quarters of the patients in work. The outcome of ODS, RLS, and VAS showed low scores. We found a significant correlation between the scores and the Cobb angle preoperatively as well as at follow-up. The patient-oriented outcome did not correlate with the type of curve, extension of vertebral fusion, tilt angle of the lowest instrumented vertebra, postoperative Cobb angle, loss of correction, or lumbar lordosis. This long-term follow-up of Harrington rod fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis showed no important impairment of health-related quality of life.

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