Scoliometer measurements of patients with idiopathic scoliosis

Abstract

| Background: Patients with idiopathic scoliosis are exposed to approximately 25 radiographic examinations of their spine throughout the clinical follow-up using the Cobb angle. Several non-invasive and radiation-free methods have been proposed to measure scoliotic deformities, including the scoliometer. Objectives: To measure the intra-and interrater reliability of the scoliometer measurements, to assess the correlation of the values obtained by the scoliometer measurements with the Cobb angles obtained by radiography, and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the scoliometer measurements for the different diagnostic criteria for the referral of idiopathic scoliosis. Method: Sixty-four patients were selected for the study: half with idiopathic scoliosis and half without. The 17 levels of the spine of each volunteer were measured with a scoliometer in the forward bending position. The measurements were performed three times on 42 volunteers by two different raters to obtain data for calculating the reliability values. Anteroposterior radiographs were taken to determine the Cobb angles, which were then compared with the highest trunk rotation value. Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated using radiograph criteria for referral: a Cobb angle of 10° and axial trunk rotation values between 5° and 10°. Results: Excellent intrarater reliability values and very good interrater reliability values were obtained. The correlation between the scoliometer measurements and radiograph analyses was considered good (r=0.7, p<0.05). The highest sensitivity value was for a trunk rotation of 5° at 87%. Conclusions: The scoliometer measurements showed a good correlation with the radiographic measurements.Keywords: physical therapy; scoliometer; scoliosis; spine; evaluation. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLECoelho DM, Bonagamba GH, Oliveira AS. Scoliometer measurements of patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Braz J Phys Ther.

Idiopathic scoliosis: Static analysis of the influence of shim use on postural angles

“…Scoliosis with Cobb angle above 10° degrees characterizes structural curves (24,25,26). Nevertheless, some studies (24,32,33) consider differences greater than 7° as being important to point out significant asymmetries in the spine, and still others (34,35) consider values above 5°.…”

“…In total, 42 subjects were evaluated, divided into three groups: control group (GC), composed of 10 participants without scoliosis [age 20. ), 7 female and 3 male; both experimental groups presented idiopathic scoliosis with angles greater than 10 degrees, confirmed through measurement of the Cobb angle in the radiological examination, characterizing structural curves (24,25,26). Participants were allocated for convenience and recruited from a group for strengthening exercises in carriers of idiopathic scoliosis directed by the same laboratory.…”

Reliability and validity of inexpensive and easily administered anthropometric clinical evaluation methods of postural asymmetry measurement in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review

“…Three studies assessed two types of iPhone applications as a measure of scoliosis, including a study with the attachment of an acrylic sleeve resembling a scoliometer [37,39,40]. Eight studies assessed the scoliometer [11,36,37,[39][40][41][42][43], which is a fluid filled inclinometer that measures the degrees of axial rotation in the spine in the transverse plane. Two studies assessed use of a scoliometer plus a mathematical formula [38,44].…”

“…The principal screening test for scoliosis is measuring angle of trunk rotation with a scoliometer. The inter-and intra-observer reliability of scoliometer assessments has in several studies ranged from very good to excellent and the tool is reportedly useful as a screening device [8,11]. Further, the criterion validity of scoliometer measurements, when correlated to the gold standard Cobb angle from radiographs, has been found to be fair to very good [16].…”

“…Researchers have reported that early detection of scoliosis resulted in a threefold increase in the number of patients who could be conservatively treated for scoliosis, thus decreasing the percentage of patients who required surgery [10][11][12], and further, that it is also important in reducing the side effects of AIS [13]. Considering the improvements gained from early detection of AIS, accurate, non-invasive and reliable tools are crucial for screening within clinical settings [14,15].…”