Abstract
Introduction
To investigate and monitor the progression of scoliosis and other spinal deformities in patients following idiopathic scoliosis (IS), non-invasive and radiation-free techniques are recommended because of the need for repeated radiographs. In a clinical setting, spine parameters can be quickly, cheaply and easily assessed using rasterstereography (RS). The objective of this paper was to assess the validity of the radiation-free technique RS based on surface topography compared with radiographs.
Material and Methods
MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE were systematically searched for studies which investigate the validity of rasterstereography compared with X-ray measurements. Studies published between January 1, 1990 and July 31, 2013 in English, German and French were included. Studies dealing with magnetic resonance imaging were excluded.
Results
Twelve studies with 570 patients were included; these articles were published between 1990 and 2013. The majority of studies investigated patients with IS, but other spinal pathologies included were thoracic hyperkyphosis and Scheuermann's disease. With regard to the quality assessment criteria for the included studies, three out of twelve studies were evaluated using a twelve point scale and two used a scale with eleven points.
Conclusions
RS facilitates clinical practice by analyzing the spinal column. It is completely radiation-free and could help to monitor scoliosis progression.