A fourteen years oid boy with a former diagnosis of idiopathic scoliosis was examined at Neuroiogy Department of Hacettepe Universlty Faculty of M edicine after deveiopment of an ataxic gait, weakness and dispnea after a posterior instrumentation and fusion operation at 1st Department of Ortbopaedİcs and Traumatoiogy of Ankara Socİaİ Securİty Hospital in April 1994. Transcranİai magnetic stimulated motor evoked potential and nerve conduction study of the patient were performed. This patient aiso had bilateral miidpes-cavus. The eiectrophysioiogical findings correiated with a demyelopathy andpolyneuropathy. Myocardial dysfunction was determined with echocardiography. The final diagnosis was Friedreich Ataxia. Preoperative Cobb angle which wa$ 95° wa$ brought to physiological limits (40°). Lateral trunk shift was significantly corrected from 2.6 vertebral units (VU) to 0.9 VU. However, after a foliow-up of 18 months a severe correction loss was recorded at the frontal plane. This case is presented to emphasize the importance of a meticulous neuroiogical examination as it can also effect the future therapy planning.
Keywords: eiectrophysioiogy, Scoliosis, Friedreich ataxia.