<原著>1. 非観血的療法の肺機能に及ぼす影響について, 2. 観血的療法の肺機能に及ぼす影響について(第二篇治療の肺機能に及ぼす影響について)(側彎症の肺機能)

Abstract

1. Pulmonary function studies were performed in 25 patients with scoliosis before and after application of cast and braces as corrective measures. The results are as follows. 1) The correction of scoliosis by localizer cast resulted in a loss of vital capacity of 33 per cent but showed an improvement of 10 per cent or more in vital capacity by making a large anterior window by removing a part of the anterior wall of cast over epigastric and hypochondriac region of the patient. 2) The use of a functional braces was found to have detriment effects on lung volumes. The correction of scoliosis by functional braces strapping by chest cage resulted in a decrease in vital capacity as much as 8 per cent, but the correction without strapping chest cage resulted in only 3 per cent decrease. It seems mandatory to estimate the pulmonary function of patients before conservative treatments for determining the indication of the use of the braces. 2. Pulmonary function studies were performed in 23 patients with idiopathic and paralytic scoliosis before and after operative treatments. The improvement of pulmonary function was not demonstrated after operation in spite of significant correction of curvatures in degrees. These results are possibly due to postoperative stabilization of spine but scolitoic patients with 40 degrees or more had already some impairments in pulmonary function. In view of these results it is reasonably concluded that scoliosis with the curvature of more than 40 degrees should be considered as an indication of operative treatment for the prevention of further deterioration in pulmonaty function.