QUALITY OF LIFE OF PEOPLE WITH IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS AFTER SURGICAL TREATMENT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life of individuals after surgery for idiopathic scoliosis in the Czech Republic. The study included individuals with IS who had undergone surgical treatment of IS, but also individuals with IS who had not undergone scoliosis surgery. The data obtained were indirectly compared between the two groups and evaluated in the context of international studies dealing with similar issues.

The study population included individuals diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis in the age range of 18–60 years. Another criterion for inclusion in the study was a minimum of 2 years after IS surgery.

Two questionnaires, the Short Form 36 and a Scoliosis Research Society 22, were used to assess quality of life in these two groups of scoliotic patients with different treatments and were distributed to individuals with IS for approximately eight months.

The questionnaires used monitored physical health, pain, vitality, emotional problems, mental health, self-assessment or satisfaction with the treatment undergone. All this information provides us with information on the overall quality of life of individuals with IS in the Czech Republic.

The data obtained from the questionnaires suggest that individuals who have undergone IS surgery do not have a lower quality of life than individuals who have not undergone surgery. However, it is necessary to take into account the limitations of the study, which is mainly the observation of non-homogeneous groups of scoliotic individuals. However, an important result of the study is the indication of satisfaction with the treatment undergone by individuals after IS surgery, as well as higher scores in the „self-assessment“ domain compared to individuals who did not undergo surgery.