TY - JOUR T1 - Cardiac and respiratory function before and after spinal fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. JF - Thorax JO - Thorax SP - 658 LP - 661 DO - 10.1136/thx.34.5.658 VL - 34 IS - 5 AU - J M Shneerson AU - M A Edgar Y1 - 1979/10/01 UR - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/34/5/658.abstract N2 - Ten girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were studied before and 17-23 months after spinal fusion. None had any cardiac or respiratory disease complicating the scoliosis. They underwent a range of resting lung function tests and a progressive exercise test. The mean angle of scoliosis decreased from 65.8 to 27.3 degrees after operation but the only significant physiological benefit detected in this study was a decrease in the submaximal minute ventilation. The physiological benefit of spinal fusion was therefore much less prominent than the anatomical improvement of the spinal curvature. ER -