Analysis Of Prevalence And Factors Influencing Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Among School Students In Thiruvallur District

Background: The occurrence of AIS is on a high, which necessitates preventive measures at the earliest for which screening is essential at the school level. Prevalence of AIS around the world is 0.4- 5.2 %. Scoliosis leads to problems such as cosmetic deformity, quality of life, visible disability, backache, personal growth, autonomy, and reduced respiratory function. These problems can be prevented if scoliosis is diagnosed and treated earlier. To screen for AIS among selected schools and to analyze factors influencing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: A total of 3250 Students between age 11 to 15 years were screened for AIS from Thiruvallur district. The screening was performed at two levels using Adam’s forward bend test and scoliometer, respectively. A detailed analysis was performed on symptomatic AIS subjects (n=58) for various influencing factors and determinants. Results: The prevalence of AIS from 11- 15 years was 0.27%, 0.30%, 0.49%, 0.36% and 0.33% respectively. AIS-affected thoracic region (50%) of females (58%) with a predominant right sided curvature (55%). Bag type and weight, sitting posture in a classroom, study posture was found to influence AIS. Conclusion: This study emphasizes early screening of AIS for school children at the age of 11- 15 years based upon the high prevalence rates compared to global standards. Parents and teachers should be aware of the bag type and weight, sitting and studying posture for early prevention of AIS.

Scoliometer measurements of patients with idiopathic scoliosis

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 10º and axial trunk rotation values between 5º and 10º. 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 5º at 87%. CONCLUSIONS: The scoliometer measurements showed a good correlation with the radiographic measurements. .

Idiopathic Scoliosis in Korean Middle School Students: Prevalence study / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: To update and reevaluate the scoliosis prevalence in middle school students in Korea, and correlate those data with past references and other countries general prevalence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among the middle schools in Seoul city, forty-five middle schools were randomly selected for screening. Total number of students were 46,428 who were screened for the prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. There were 24,892 boys and 21,536 girls. Their age ranged from 12 to 15 years. Adams forward bending test and "Scoliometer" (Orthopaedic Systems, Inc, USA) were used to detect and measure the degree of rotation of trunk. Students more than 5 (ATR were assessed subsequently by standardized clinical and radiological examinations. RESULTS: Using 10 degrees as cut-off points, 465 students were found to have structural idiopathic scoliosis, representing a prevalence of 0.9% overall. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of the scoliosis has not changed from previously estimated rates in Korea, which was about 20 years ago. It nearly approximates with the prevalence of the world wide reported. We also confirmed that it is not necessary to issue a mass screening, considering the cost and effectiveness aspect, due to its low prevalence.