Comparison of SRS Questionnaire Results Submitted by Both Parents and Patients in the Operative Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

Study Design. A prospective, cross-sectional analysis of patients with operative idiopathic scoliosis comparing Scoliosis Research Society’s Outcomes Instrument (SRS-24) scores from both parents and patients obtained separately on the same day along with pertinent radiographic data. Objective. To determine the correlation of parents’ and patients’ perspectives of the patients’ preoperative and postoperative experience using the SRS-24 questionnaire emphasizing parent–patient disparities. Summary of Background Data. No report to our knowledge has addressed the association between parent assessments of their child’s presurgical and postsurgical outcome as verified by SRS-24 questionnaire data. Materials and Methods. A total of 101 patients with operative idiopathic scoliosis were analyzed based on paired parent–patient SRS-24 data and radiographs performed on the same day. Patients were analyzed by age at date of examination (9–23 years, mean 17 ± 5 years), gender (16 male, 85 female), major curve magnitude (41–126°), procedure type [preoperative (22 pairs), anterior spinal fusion (49 pairs), anterior spinal fusion/posterior spinal fusion (19 pairs), posterior spinal fusion (46 pairs)], and time from surgery (preoperative, postoperative 1–93 months, mean 24 months). All questionnaire scores were classified based on domains of pain, self-image, function, overall satisfaction, and total score. Results. In overall time periods, parents consistently scored higher than their children in the self-image (P = 0.0001), satisfaction (P = 0.0001), and total score (P = 0.04), but not pain or function. Before surgery, parents overestimated patients’ scores in self-image (P = 0.002) by 7.5% but not other domains. Satisfaction differences (P = 0.04) improved with increasing age of the patient, but not other domains. There were no significant differences with gender or preoperative/postoperative major curve magnitudes. Conclusion. Based on SRS-24 data, parents typically scored higher than their children in the operative treatment of idiopathic scoliosis in total score, self-image, and overall satisfaction. Some parent–patient scores correlated better with increasing age of the patient, and later in the postoperative period.