Scoliosis Research Society-22 Patient Questionnaire - Responsiveness to change associated with surgical treatment

Study Design. Prospective observational consecutive case series. Objectives. To determine the responsiveness to change of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) patient questionnaire after surgical treatment. Summary of Background Data. The SRS-22 outcomes questionnaire is the outgrowth of prior research that led to modification and improvements of the original SRS questionnaire. Methods. Fifty-eight patients with an average age of 16 years and an average Cobb size of 63degrees enrolled. They were tested preoperatively and at 3- (within 4 months), 6- (5-8 months), 12- (9-16 months), and 24-months (22-36 months) intervals postoperatively using the SRS-22 outcomes questionnaire. The paired Student t-test with multiple comparison adjustment was used to test significance of change score over time. Only patients with data on both time points of interest were included in the analysis. Results. Self-image was significantly improved at 3 months (P<0.0001) and maintained improvement through 24 months. Function was significantly decreased at 3 months (P<0.001), but returned to baseline by 6 months. Pain was significantly worse at 3 months (P=0.0099), but was significantly less at 6(P=0.0011), 12 (P<0.0001), and 24(P=0.0037) months when compared to 3 months. Conclusion. The SRS-22 questionnaire is responsive to changes in the postsurgical period.