Abstract
Introduction
PT and PI-LL sometimes offer limited utility in daily practice when evaluating QOL, especially in outpatient clinics with limited time and equipment facility. This study proposes a novel spinopelvic parameter, lumbofemoral angle (LFA). The purpose of this study is to analyze the correlation between LFA and health-related (HRQOL) in adult scoliosis patients.
Patients and Methods
A cohort of 100 asymptomatic adult volunteers and 50 patients with adult scoliosis were prospectively recruited. The following sagittal parameters including thoracic kyphosis (TK), LL, LFA, PI, PT, and sacral slope (SS) were measured on the long-cassette standing upright lateral radiographs. HRQOL measures included the VAS, ODI, and SF-36 instruments for patients with adult scoliosis.
Results
LFA, the novel regional lumbosacral parameter, averaged 0.68 ± 4.5 degrees in normal adults with the 95% CI value of −7 to 7 degrees. Higher intra- and interobserver intraclass correlations (ICC) and less measurement time were observed in LFA compared with PI-LL indicating that it is easy to quantitatively evaluate the regional alignment directly from X-ray films. Although LFA in patients with adult scoliosis was found to be significantly larger (11.8 ± 8.7 vs. 0.68 ± 4.5 degrees, p < 0.001), it showed strong correlations with the PT and PI-LL in both groups (p < 0.001). Additionally, a summary of significant correlations between LFA and QOL measurements were identified (p < 0.05)
Conclusion
LFA could be considered a novel, user-friendly sagittal parameter, strongly correlated with previously established sagittal spinopelvic parameters and HRQOL measurements. LFA showed high inter- and intraobserver reliability, faster measurement times and could be easily identified and read. Mean LFA in asymptomatic adult patients was nearly 0 degrees with 95% CI value of −7 to 7 degrees, and significantly increased in adult scoliosis patients