Clinical and radiological efficacy of spino-pelvic fixation in the treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis

Pelvic fixation is performed to obtain proper coronal and sagittal alignment when the pelvic obliquity is more than 15º in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS). Since many NMS patients were wheelchair or bed-ridden status, there has been controversy on the effect of pelvic fixation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of pelvic fixation on correction of spinal deformity and quality of life (QoL) in NMS patients. A total of 77 NMS patients who underwent deformity correction were divided into three groups and retrospectively analyzed preoperatively, postoperatively, and at 2-year follow-up: pelvic fixation group (Group A, n = 16), fixed to S1 (Group B, n = 33), and fixed to L5 (Group C, n = 28). The correction rate of scoliosis was 60.0%, 58.0%, and 56.7% in groups A, B, and C, respectively, with no statistical difference (P > 0.05). The correction rate of pelvic obliquity was 61.3%, 42.8%, and 57.5% in respective groups A, B, and C, with no significance (P > 0.05). The correction loss of scoliosis and pelvic obliquity showed no statistical significance between three groups for 2-year follow-up (all Ps > 0.05). There were no significant differences regarding clinical outcomes and postoperative complications among the three groups (all Ps > 0.05). Therefore, pelvic fixation using iliac screws is not substantially influencing radiological and clinical outcomes in the patients with NMS.