Using ultrasound for screening scoliosis to reduce unnecessary radiographic radiation – a prospective diagnostic accuracy study on 442 schoolchildren

Pang, Henry; Wong, Y.S.; Yip, Bhk; Hung, Alh; Chu, Wai Kit; Lai, Kkl; Zheng, YP; Chung, Twh; Sharma, Gulshan B.; Cheng, Jcy; Lam, TP

doi:10.3233/shti210445

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A total of 2112 records were excluded by examining their titles and/or abstracts, leaving 36 records for full-text review. Twenty studies ( 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ) were excluded after full-text review because they did not report coronal Cobb angles, two studies ( 35 , 36 ) were excluded because they were not comparative, one study ( 37 ) was excluded because it reported on cadavers, and one study ( 38 ) was excluded because it reported on a surface imaging modality (ultrasound) combined with radiographs. This left 12 eligible studies ( 7 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ), and by checking their references, 2 more relevant studies ( 50 , 51 ) were identified.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Cobb angle measurements for scoliosis assessment using different imaging modalities: a systematic review

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose To report accuracy, repeatability, and agreement of Cobb angle measurements on radiographs and/or stereo-radiographs (EOS) compared against one another or against other imaging modalities. Methods This review follows Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search was conducted on 21 July 2021 using Medline, Embase, and Cochrane. Two researchers independently performed title/abstract/full-text screening and data extraction. Studies were eligible if they reported Cobb angles, and/or their repeatability and agreement, measured on radiographs and/or EOS compared against one another or against other imaging modalities. Results Of the 2993 records identified, 845 were duplicates and 2212 were excluded during title/abstract/full-text screening. Two more relevant studies were identified from references of eligible studies, leaving 14 studies for inclusion. Two studies compared Cobb angles from EOS vs CT, while 12 compared radiographs vs other imaging modalities: EOS, CT, MRI, digital fluoroscopy, or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Angles from standing radiographs tended to be higher than those from supine MRI and CT, and angles from standing EOS tended to be higher than those from supine or prone CT. Correlations across modalities were strong (R = 0.78–0.97). Inter-observer agreement was excellent for all studies (ICC = 0.77–1.00), except one (ICC = 0.13 radiographs and ICC = 0.68 for MRI). Conclusion Differences of up to 11º were found when comparing Cobb angles across combinations of imaging modalities and patient positions. It is not possible, however, to determine whether the differences observed are due to the change of modality, position, or both. Therefore, clinicians should be careful when utilizing the thresholds for standing radiographs across other modalities and positions for diagnosis and assessment of scoliosis.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Cobb angle measurements for scoliosis assessment using different imaging modalities: a systematic review

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Validation of Scolioscan Air-Portable Radiation-Free Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging Assessment System for Scoliosis

Lai

Lee

et al. 2021

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To diagnose scoliosis, the standing radiograph with Cobb’s method is the gold standard for clinical practice. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging, which is radiation-free and inexpensive, has been demonstrated to be reliable for the assessment of scoliosis and validated by several groups. A portable 3D ultrasound system for scoliosis assessment is very much demanded, as it can further extend its potential applications for scoliosis screening, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment outcome measurement, and progress prediction. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of a newly developed portable 3D ultrasound imaging system, Scolioscan Air, for scoliosis assessment using coronal images it generated. The system was comprised of a handheld probe and tablet PC linking with a USB cable, and the probe further included a palm-sized ultrasound module together with a low-profile optical spatial sensor. A plastic phantom with three different angle structures built-in was used to evaluate the accuracy of measurement by positioning in 10 different orientations. Then, 19 volunteers with scoliosis (13F and 6M; Age: 13.6 ± 3.2 years) with different severity of scoliosis were assessed. Each subject underwent scanning by a commercially available 3D ultrasound imaging system, Scolioscan, and the portable 3D ultrasound imaging system, with the same posture on the same date. The spinal process angles (SPA) were measured in the coronal images formed by both systems and compared with each other. The angle phantom measurement showed the measured angles well agreed with the designed values, 59.7 ± 2.9 vs. 60 degrees, 40.8 ± 1.9 vs. 40 degrees, and 20.9 ± 2.1 vs. 20 degrees. For the subject tests, results demonstrated that there was a very good agreement between the angles obtained by the two systems, with a strong correlation (R2 = 0.78) for the 29 curves measured. The absolute difference between the two data sets was 2.9 ± 1.8 degrees. In addition, there was a small mean difference of 1.2 degrees, and the differences were symmetrically distributed around the mean difference according to the Bland–Altman test. Scolioscan Air was sufficiently comparable to Scolioscan in scoliosis assessment, overcoming the space limitation of Scolioscan and thus providing wider applications. Further studies involving a larger number of subjects are worthwhile to demonstrate its potential clinical values for the management of scoliosis.

show abstract

Using ultrasound for screening scoliosis to reduce unnecessary radiographic radiation – a prospective diagnostic accuracy study on 442 schoolchildren

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Comparison of Cobb angle measurements for scoliosis assessment using different imaging modalities: a systematic review

Comparison of Cobb angle measurements for scoliosis assessment using different imaging modalities: a systematic review

Validation of Scolioscan Air-Portable Radiation-Free Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging Assessment System for Scoliosis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About