Abstract
Lumbar radiographs of 1, 296 patients (819 females, 477 males) were reviewed over a two year period. Patient ages ranged from 40 to 96, with a mean of 62.5. Measures were taken of lumbar scoliosis, using the Cobb method, lumbar lordosis and osteoporosis.
Degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) in patients over 40 years, defined as having a measurement greater than 10 degrees on Cobb's angle, was observed in 234 cases (175 females, 59 males; age range 40∼96, mean 69.5).
Results indicate that DLS is more likely to occur in females than in males-with the frequency increasing with age; that the convexity of the curve is dominant to the left side; and occurences of lumbar lordosis are fewer among patients diagnosed with DLS. The risk of lateral slipping increases with an increase in Cobb's angle.
