Pulmonary Parameters in Adolescents with Severe Thoracic Idiopathic Scoliosis: Comparison Girls versus Boys

The study compared pulmonary parameters, registered at the preoperative examination, in adolescent boys versus girls, both with severe thoracic idiopathic scoliosis. Thirty consecutive boys and 30 consecutive girls with Lenke 1 or 3 type, in the age range 14-18 years, with a Cobb angle of >50 degrees and Risser sign >= 3 were enrolled. Corrected body height was used to calculate pulmonary parameters according to the Global Lung Function (GLI 2012) reference values. Significantly higher values of the calculated predicted pulmonary parameters and the upper and lower limit of normal (ULN and LLN), as well as significantly higher absolute values of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), were observed in boys than girls; however, the registered FVC and FEV1, expressed as percentages of the predicted values, tended to be lower in boys. The FEV1 z-score difference between boys and girls may suggest a need for more intensive preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation in boys.