| Scoliosis is a complex, three dimensional abnormality of the spine and ribcage causing visible deformity of the trunk. Progression of this deformity is monitored by full spinal radiographs every six months. Many methods have been investigated in an effort to decrease radiation exposure, and develop a more complete, three dimensional measure of the deformity. The objective of this research is to evaluate the clinical utility of a non harmful imaging system in predicting the progression of scoliosis based solely on the three dimensional shape of the torso. Measurements to quantify torso shape have been previously developed. The clinical utility of these measures was investigated by developing a clinical chart to communicate the shape measures to clinicians, quantifying the sensitivity of the measures to patient posture while being imaged, and applying factor and discriminant analyses to assess the ability of the torso shape measures to predict scoliosis progression. |
