WITHDRAWN: Anisotropic Textile Brace for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Immediate in-brace effect and biomechanics

Abstract

Background Rigid bracing is a universal effective treatment for scoliosis. However, body movement restriction and discomfort usually are its shortcomings. The purpose of this case series study was to investigate the feasibility of novel anisotropic textile braces with an artificial hinge adopting the direct three-point pressure system for the initial spinal correction and its biomechanics. Methods Five scoliotic female patients who were on average 12.2 years old with a BMI of 18.7, Risser grade of 1.6 and Cobb’s angle of 22.3˚ were recruited. The outcome measures are spinal correction, contour asymmetry, and interface pressure distribution of the brace. The correlation between the rate of in-brace correction and variables such as the Cobb’s angle, posterior trunk asymmetry index and interface pressure were studied. Results The initial in-brace rate of spinal correction ranged between 9.7% and 87%. The rate of correction based on posterior trunk asymmetry index ranged between 14.1% and 43.2%. The interface pressure from the brace ranged from 4.1 kPa to 25.6 kPa, which is comparable to that exerted by rigid braces. Based on the data in this study, no correlation was found between the in-brace rate of correction and the Cobb’s angle and the pressure exerted by the pads. Conclusions The main finding is that the anisotropic textile brace offers good initial in-brace correction through the application of the three-point pressure system with textile materials. Nevertheless, further follow-up work is recommended to investigate its long-term efficacy. Trial registration: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02271256 – Registration date 22nd October 2014).