Adolescents with spondylolysis have lower SRS-22 scores than controls and peers with pre-operative idiopathic scoliosis

Purpose The Scoliosis Research Society Outcomes Questionnaire (SRS-22) is a health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) tool for scoliosis patients. Since no equivalent questionnaire exists for spondylolysis patients, we characterized patient-reported scores in pediatric spondylolysis patients using the SRS-22, and compared these scores to previously published values for age-matched controls and patients with pre-operative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Methods A single-institution cross-sectional observational study was performed using SRS-22 data from spondylolysis patients aged 12–18 years. Mean SRS-22 domain scores were compared to the existing literature values for adolescent control and AIS cohorts via unpaired Student t tests ( α = 0.05) and against minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs). Results Thirty-five patients met inclusion criteria. Mean (± SD) spondylolysis patients’ scores met the MCID across all domains except Mental Health ( α = 0.05). Spondylolysis patient scores for Pain, Function, and Self-Image were significantly lower ( p < 0.01) than AIS patients (Pain; 2.99 ± 0.66 vs 4.14 ± 0.79; Function; 3.81 ± 0.61 vs 4.09 ± 0.54; Self-Image; 3.45 ± 0.70 vs 3.80 ± 0.68). Conclusion The adolescent spondylolysis population has clinically significantly lower SRS-22 scores compared to age-matched controls and AIS patients, suggesting that the SRS-22 questionnaire should be given to this population to assess patients’ HRQL. Further research is needed to assess the utility of the SRS-22 in measuring treatment effects. Level of evidence III.