By Robert Linnehan
According to the results of a recently published study, black patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis had great spinal curve magnitudes and higher percentages of spines with curves in the surgical range compared with patients of other races.
The study included 219 self-identified white patients, 86 self-identified black patients, 44 self-identified Hispanic patients and 17 patients self-identified as “other.” Researchers obtained patient data between 2004 and 2009, with patients in the study completing a questionnaire to collect race, age, family income and parent marital status data.