A study conducted by researchers from the Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Kowloon, has shown that 3D clinical ultrasound (3D CUS) could be considered as an effective, noninvasive, and fast assessment method for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) especially in enhancing the effectiveness of orthotic treatment. Its applications could also be further extended to other spinal deformities. The study was published in the March issue of European Spine Journal.
By means of 3D CUS method, the spinous process angle (SPA) could be traced and used as a clinical parameter to estimate the Cobb’s angle in order to determine the pressure pad location. A test group of 21 patients and a control group of 22 patients were recruited to the ultrasound-assisted fitting method and the conventional fitting method, respectively. All the measurements were done by a blinded observer.
The results showed that the CUS-assisted fitting method of spinal orthosis was effective and beneficial for 62 percent of the patients in this study.
