Screening for adolecent idiopathic scoliosis: A literature review

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite more than 60 years of screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, it is still a controversial issue in the scientific literature. There are both opponents and supporters of the intervention, represented by government agencies, medical organizations, and individual researchers. Several countries have rejected national scoliosis screening, although some medical associations in these countries believe that screening based on the “Medical Home” model is feasible. By contrast, school-based scoliosis screening has been implemented nationally in a few countries. Given the lack of consensus on this issue, it is useful to systematize conflicting views on screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

AIM: This study aimed to review publications presenting information on the status of screening for juvenile idiopathic scoliosis to identify unresolved organizational issues.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were searched in the open electronic scientific literature databases (eLIBRARY, PubMed, and Cochrane Library) using the following keywords and phrases: scoliosis screening; screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS); school screening for scoliosis; school scoliosis screening program. The depth of the search was 30 years.

RESULTS: Arguments “for” focus on the need for the early detection of AIS through screening in terms of the effectiveness of timely treatment, proven efficacy of conservative treatment of scoliosis, and reduction of surgical interventions among screened adolescents. The arguments “against” are related to the lack of a unified methodology for screening, high rate of false-positive and false-negative results, unproven effectiveness of screening in reducing the frequency of surgical interventions, economic efficiency, and psychological effect on adolescents and violation of their rights during the event.

CONCLUSIONS: Several organizational issues should be addressed with regard to screening. These include the training of staff who conducts the screening and development of a referral and follow-up system. The screening scheme and methods should be unified through the introduction of noninvasive screening methods to standardize the results and their subsequent uniform interpretation. The referral process for further examination should be standardized according to a defined protocol. The development of a special computer program to assist medical decision-making is relevant.

About the authors

Grigoriy A. Lein

H. Turner National Medical Research Center for Children’s Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery; The Prosthetic and Orthopedic Center “Scoliologic.ru”

Author for correspondence.
Email: lein@scoliologic.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7904-8688

MD, PhD, Cand. Sci. (Med.)

Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg; Saint Petersburg

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