The Production of Scoliosis After Pinealectomy in Young Chickens, Rats, and Hamsters

Abstract

In contrast to the chickens, pinealectomy does not seem to cause scoliosis in either young rats or hamsters. The reasons for this discrepancy may include differences in the physiology and spinal morphology of the rat and hamster in comparison with the chicken. In the pinealectomized chickens, the results also suggest that future scoliosis development might be indicated by a significant increase in size when they are compared with pinealectomized chickens that do not develop scoliosis. Such differences in growth rates also distinguish patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.