Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Shear wave elastography of lumbar annulus fibrosus in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis before and after surgical intervention

  • Ultrasound
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To determine lumbar intervertebral disc properties with shear wave elastography in adolescent idiopathic scoliotic (AIS) patients before and after surgery, and compare them with asymptomatic controls.

Methods

Twenty-five severe AIS patients with an indication for fusion surgery (15 ± 1.5 years old, the Cobb angle ranging between 40 and 93°) and fifty-nine asymptomatic adolescents (13 ± 2 years old) were included prospectively. Shear wave speed (SWS) was measured in the annulus fibrosus of L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 discs of each subject. In AIS patients, measurements took place before surgery, and 3 months (N = 13) or 1 year after (N = 12).

Results

No difference was observed between disc levels in any group. When pooling disc levels, SWS was significantly higher in preop AIS patients (4.0 ± 0.5 m/s) than in asymptomatic subjects (3.1 ± 0.5 m/s, p < 0.0001). SWS decreased 3 months postop (3.5 ± 0.3 m/s), and it decreased further towards normal values 1 year after (3.3 ± 0.4 m/s). SWS in preop AIS patients tended to decrease with the Cobb angle (Spearman’s rho = − 0.4, p = 0.05).

Conclusion

Shear wave elastography measurements showed that discs in AIS patients were altered relative to asymptomatic ones, and this alteration tended to normalize 1 year post fusion surgery. Further studies should aim at determining if bracing of mild scoliosis has an effect on disc properties.

Key Points

• Shear wave elastography shows alteration of annulus fibrosus in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

• Disc elastography tends to normalize 1 year after surgery.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AIS:

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

BMI:

Body mass index

SWS:

Shear wave speed

References

  1. Deviren V, Berven S, Kleinstueck F, Antinnes J, Smith JA, Hu SS (2002) Predictors of flexibility and pain patterns in thoracolumbar and lumbar idiopathic scoliosis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 27:2346–2349. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.BRS.0000030300.45392.BF

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Langlais T, Vergari C, Pietton R, Dubousset J, Skalli W, Vialle R (2018) Shear wave elastography can evaluate annulus fibrosus alteration in adolescent scoliosis. Eur Radiol 28:2830–2837

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Gennisson JL, Deffieux T, Fink M, Tanter M (2013) Ultrasound elastography: principles and techniques. Diagn Interv Imaging 94:487–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diii.2013.01.022

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Marks M, Newton PO, Petcharaporn M et al (2012) Postoperative segmental motion of the unfused spine distal to the fusion in 100 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 37:826–832

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Abelin-Genevois K, Estivalezes E, Briot J, Sévely A, Sales de Gauzy J, Swider P (2015) Spino-pelvic alignment influences disc hydration properties after AIS surgery: a prospective MRI-based study. Eur Spine J 24:1183–1190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3875-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Green DW, Lawhorne TW 3rd, Widmann RF et al (2011) Longterm magnetic resonance imaging follow-up demonstrates minimal transitional level lumbar disc degeneration after posterior spine fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 36:1948–1954. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181ff1ea9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lenke LG, Betz RR, Harms J et al (2001) Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a new classification to determine extent of spinal arthrodesis. J Bone Joint Surg Am 83-A:1169–1181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Vergari C, Rouch P, Dubois G et al (2014) Non-invasive biomechanical characterization of intervertebral discs by shear wave ultrasound elastography: a feasibility study. Eur Radiol 24:3210–3216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3382-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Vergari C, Rouch P, Dubois G et al (2014) Intervertebral disc characterization by shear wave elastography: an in vitro preliminary study. Proc Inst Mech Eng H 228:607–615. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954411914540279

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Deffieux T, Gennisson JL, Bercoff J, Tanter M (2011) On the effects of reflected waves in transient shear wave elastography. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 58:2032–2035. https://doi.org/10.1109/TUFFC.2011.2052

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bercoff J, Tanter M, Fink M (2004) Supersonic shear imaging: a new technique for soft tissue elasticity mapping. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 51:396–409. https://doi.org/10.1109/TUFFC.2004.1295425

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Fischer CR, Kim Y (2011) Selective fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a review of current operative strategy. Eur Spine J 20:1048–1057. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-011-1730-9

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Ilharreborde B, Morel E, Mazda K, Dekutoski MB (2009) Adjacent segment disease after instrumented fusion for idiopathic scoliosis: review of current trends and controversies. J Spinal Disord Tech 22:530–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. O’Brien MF, Kulklo TR, Blanke KM, Lenke LG (2008) Radiographic measurement manual. Spinal deformity study group (SDSG). Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc

  15. Deswal A, Tamang BK, Bala A (2014) Study of aortic- common iliac bifurcation and its clinical significance. J Clin Diagn Res 8:AC06–AC08. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/8767.4559

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Vergari C, Dubois G, Vialle R et al (2016) Lumbar annulus fibrosus biomechanical characterization in healthy children by ultrasound shear wave elastography. Eur Radiol 26:1213–1217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-3911-0

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The authors are grateful to the DHU MAMUTH and ParisTech BiomecAM chair program on subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling (with the support of ParisTech and Yves Cotrel Foundations, Société Générale, Covea and Proteor).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpak, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 bd de l’Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France

    Claudio Vergari, Lucas Chanteux, Tristan Langlais & Wafa Skalli

  2. Department of Paediatric Orthopaedics, Armand Trousseau Hospital, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 75571, Paris, France

    Lucas Chanteux, Raphael Pietton, Tristan Langlais & Raphael Vialle

Authors
  1. Claudio Vergari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lucas Chanteux
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Raphael Pietton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tristan Langlais
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Raphael Vialle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Wafa Skalli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudio Vergari.

Ethics declarations

Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Prof. Wafa Skalli.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Statistics and biometry

Several of the authors have significant statistical expertise.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects and patients in this study.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained (C.P.P Île de France IV #14 409).

Methodology

• prospective

• experimental study

• performed at one institution

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vergari, C., Chanteux, L., Pietton, R. et al. Shear wave elastography of lumbar annulus fibrosus in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis before and after surgical intervention. Eur Radiol 30, 1980–1985 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06563-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06563-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation