A feasibility study of applying two-dimensional photogrammetry for screening and monitoring of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in clinical practice

Standing posteroanterior radiographs have been the golden standard to quantify the severity of scoliosis deformity. However, it exposes ionizing radiation to scoliosis patients, and cannot be used for routine screening and monitoring. This study aimed to develop a protocol of measuring postural indexes by using the noninvasive and radiation-free two-dimensional (2D) photogrammetry method and identify its clinical value in scoliosis screening and monitoring. The five postural indexes were measured from the posterior view of 110 participants. One-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey HSD/Games-Howell analysis was used to compare the differences between the participants in the scoliosis group and the non-scoliosis group. Pearson coefficients of correlation were analyzed to identify the relationships between Cobb angles and each of the five quantitative postural indexes. Based on 2D photogrammetry, the postural indexes of C7 deviation (p = 0.02), shoulder alignment (p < 0.001), scapula alignment (p < 0.001), waist angle discrepancy (p < 0.001), and PSIS alignment (p < 0.001) could significantly differentiate scoliosis and non-scoliosis patients during screening. The waist angle discrepancy (r = 0.4, p = 0.01; r = 0.8, p = 0.03; r = 0.7, p = 0.01) and shoulder alignment (r = 0.6, p = 0.03) had moderate to strong positive correlations with the Cobb angles, which supported their clinical values in monitoring scoliotic curvature changes of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients.

Automated summary

This study developed a protocol for measuring postural indexes using a noninvasive and radiation-free two-dimensional (2D) photogrammetry method, aiming to improve the screening and monitoring of scoliosis patients. Five postural indexes were measured from the posterior view of 110 participants. The results showed that the postural indexes of C7 deviation, shoulder alignment, scapula alignment, waist angle discrepancy, and PSIS alignment could effectively differentiate scoliosis and non-scoliosis patients during screening. The waist angle discrepancy and shoulder alignment had moderate to strong positive correlations with the Cobb angles, supporting their clinical value in monitoring scoliotic curvature changes.