Abstract: BACKGROUND: The distribution of horizontal pressure in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis can be used to evaluate the coronal imbalance. Currently, there are no reports on the characteristics of coronal pressure distribution and its correlation with coronal imbalance.  
OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between coronal pressure variation and coronal imbalance in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.
METHODS: A total of 39 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in Lianyungang First People’s Hospital from March 2021 to June 2022 were selected as the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis group, and 30 matched healthy volunteers were recruited from the outpatient department as the control group. The horizontal position pressure, folding position pressure, coefficient of variation, and global and trunk pressure variation were measured by the TBED Postural Couch evaluation system. In the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis group, full-length spine radiographs were taken to measure Cobb angle, coronal balance, apical vertebral deviation and Nash-Moe rotation. The characteristics of coronal pressure variation and its correlation with coronal imbalance were analyzed.  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared with the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in the horizontal position pressure and folding position pressure in the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis group (P > 0.05), but the global pressure variation and coefficient of variation were significantly increased (all P < 0.05). (2) There were differences in both sides of the trunk of the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis group and the control group (P < 0.05), and the convex side pressure variation in the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis group was higher than the concave side pressure variation in the left and right side pressure variation in the control group (all P < 0.05). (3) The variation of the convex side pressure of the trunk in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients was positively correlated with coronal balance intensity (r=0.692, P < 0.05), moderately positively correlated with Cobb angle and apical vertebral deviation (r=0.499, 0.595, all P < 0.05), and weakly correlated with Nash-Moe grade (r=0.377, P < 0.05). The variation of the concave side pressure of the trunk was moderately positively correlated with coronal balance (r=0.410, P < 0.05), and the rest was weakly correlated or not correlated (P > 0.05). (4) These findings indicate that pressure variation may be used as an adjoint assessment tool in patients with mild to moderate scoliosis.

Key words: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, pressure variation, coronal imbalance, correlation analysis, Cobb angle, coronal balance, apical vertebral deviation