Analysis of the mechanism and clinical classification of thoracolumbar scoliosis using three-dimensional EOS and surface electromyography

To analyze a thoracolumbar scoliosis group, we analyzed data from the acquired database by groups: the sEMG group (n = 16) and 3D-EOS group (n = 55). The asymmetric hyper/hypoactivation ratio of muscle and LLD (>3 mm) were measured in the sEMG group. In the 3D-EOS group, we recorded the values of parameters including LLD, pelvis rotation, and kyphosis/lordosis. In the sEMG study, sEMG examinations were conducted individually in patients with idiopathic scoliosis to analyze hyper/hypoactivation of the paraspinal muscle. In the three-dimensional EOS study, the Cobb angle, femoral height difference, and thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles were measured using 2D images and 3D reconstructed images. Sixteen patients with thoracolumbar scoliosis were classified into asymmetric hyperactivation (A-Hyper) and asymmetric hypoactivation (A-Hypo) groups. The Cobb angle of the A-Hyper subtype was significantly higher than that of the A-Hypo subtype (22.41 versus 15.2, p = 0.023). Coronal deviation (p = 0.028) and the pelvis rotation angle (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in the LLD (+) subtype than in the LLD (−) subtype. When we classified patients cross-sectionally along with A-Hyper/Hypo and LLD (±), A-Hyper elevated the Cobb angle, and LLD (+) was significantly correlated with coronal deviation and pelvis rotation. In the 3D-EOS evaluation, the pelvic height difference (p = 0.043) and coronal deviation (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in the LLD (+) subtype than in the LLD (−) subtype. In conclusions, paraspinal muscular asymmetry and LLD can be strong factors in inducing or progressing thoracolumbar scoliosis.