Traditional pulmonary function testing and kinematic assessment of the chest wall was measured simultaneously during a flow volume loop and maximum voluntary ventilation test. Fifteen children with AIS and 15 able-bodied children were measured. Differences between the two groups (AIS and able-bodied) and the two testing methods (traditional and kinematic testing) were analyzed. Correlations for the two testing methods and interclass coefficients for the kinematic analysis were measured.
There were no significant differences between the control group and the scoliosis group when comparing data from traditional and kinematic assessments. When comparing the differences between the traditional and kinematic data collection methods, there were significant differences for the flow volume loop and maximum voluntary ventilation. For all significant parameters, the kinematic analysis demonstrated higher values. Moderate to high Pearson correlations were found between collection methods, and high to moderate interclass correlation coefficient values were found for the kinematic analysis of the chest wall.
Kinematics of the chest wall can be used as a valuable resource in the future when measuring pulmonary function when a traditional method is not a viable option.