OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate bone mineral density among patients with neuromuscular scoliosis secondary to quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
METHODS:
This was a descriptive prospective study in which both bone densitometric and anthropometric data were evaluated. The inclusion criteria used were that the patients should present quadriplegic cerebral palsy, be confined to a wheelchair, be between 10 and 20 years of age and present neuromuscular scoliosis.
RESULTS:
We evaluated 31 patients (20 females) with a mean age of 14.2 years. Their mean biceps circumference, calf circumference and body mass index were 19.4 cm, 18.6 cm and 16.9 kg/m22. Erickson MA, Baulesh DM. Pathways that distinguish simple from complex scoliosis repair. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2011;23(3):339-45., respectively. The mean standard deviation from bone densitometry was -3.2 (z-score), which characterizes osteoporosis.
CONCLUSION:
There is high incidence of osteoporosis in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis secondary to quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
Scoliosis; Neuromuscular; Osteoporosis