INTRODUCTION: quality of life measurement is a common practice to assess spine diseases. The SRS-22 questionnaire was proven to be a valid tool in the clinical evaluation of patients diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis in the United States. However, its adaptation in languages other than the source language is necessary for its multinational use. OBJECTIVE: to map the evidence available in the literature related to the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) in other versions. DESIGN OF STUDY: narrative review of literature concerning a questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life and its versions in different idioms. METHODS: a review of the literature was conducted to obtain evidence related to the translation and validation of the questionnaires SRS-22, SRS-24 and SRS-30. RESULTS: eight publications were identified in the literature and described the translation and validation process of SRS questionnaires in the following idioms: Spanish, Japanese, Turkish, Chinese, Italian and German. None article about the SRS-30 questionnaire in Portuguese was found in the literature. The content of the items' domains refer both of factual and simple data and subjective experience from people related to their emotional reaction in specific circumstances. The majority of the questionnaires that evaluate quality of life were developed in English and there is an urgency to perform studies aiming at adapting it in other languages. CONCLUSIONS: questionnaires that evaluate health-related quality of life should pass through cultural adaptation to maintain its internal validity. Thereby, it is important to perform studies that prove the validity of SRS-30 in Portuguese and determine its consistency as compared to prior questionnaires in English and other languages.
Scoliosis; Quality of life; Questionnaires