Mechanical and histomorphometrical evaluation of false and floating ribs of young adults with idiopathic scoliosis

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to assess the histomorphometrical and mechanical properties of ribs in patients with idiopathic scoliosis who underwent corrective surgery of scoliosis combined with thoracoplasty. Methods: The analyzed material encompasses 20 females between the ages of 12 and 18, whose pre-operative Cobb angle was 56.85 degrees, on average. The participants were divided into two age groups, up to the age of 15 and above 15 years old, taking into account the anatomical location of the assessed rib fragments with a division into floating and false ribs. The analysis of mechanical parameters was carried out by means of the quasi-static 3-point bending test, and the histomorphometric evaluation of the examined rib fragments was carried out using high-resolution computed tomography. Results: The existence of explicit relationships between selected radiological parameters describing scoliosis and mechanical and histomorphometric parameters of the ribs has not been confirmed. Statistically significant correlations between age and rib stiffness as well as between Young’s modulus and stiffness depending on the anatomical location of the examined rib fragment were confirmed. Conclusions: Mechanical and histomorphometric properties of bone tissue in patients with scoliosis are not explicitly associated with the radiological parameters characterizing scoliosis.