To investigate the denervation of paravertebral muscles in scoliosis associated with syringomyelia via detecting the subunit expression of junctional acetylcholine receptors.
Methods: All the cases were divided into three groups: Group A consisted of 20 patients with scoliosis associated with syringomyelia, Group B included 10 adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, and Group C was 10 cases without scoliosis. Bilateral biopsy of the paraspinal muscles was performed during scheduled spinal surgery. The mRNA expression of junctional acetylcholine receptor (AchR) subunits were detected by RT-PCR method.
Results: 13 Patient (65%) in Group A had a positive expression of the mRNA for the gamma subunit. The positive rate of gamma subunit expression was 40% on the convex side of the curve, and 25% on the convex side. The gamma subunit expression was absent from all samples in Group B. In Group C, only one patient had the gamma subunit expression on the left side.
Conclusion: The gamma subunit expression of the junctional acetylcholine receptor is changed in scoliosis associated with syringomyelia, suggesting the presence of denervation in paravertebral muscles. The denervation of paravertebral muscles may play an role in the pathogenesis of scoliosis.