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Is there a skeletal age index that can predict accurate curve progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? A systematic review

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A Correction to this article was published on 05 February 2024

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Abstract

Background

The diagnosis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis requires clinical and radiographic evaluation; the management options vary depending on the severity of the curve and potential for progression. Identifying predictors of scoliosis progression is crucial to avoid incorrect management; clinical and radiographic factors have been studied as potential predictors. The present study aims to review the literature on radiological indexes for the peak height velocity or curve acceleration phase to help clinicians manage treatment of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods

This systematic review was carried out in accordance with Preferential Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was carried out including only peer-reviewed articles written in English that described the radiological indexes assessing skeletal maturity in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and evaluated their correlation with curve progression, expressed as peak height velocity and/or curve acceleartion phase.

Results

Thirteen studies were included and showed promising results in terms of reliable radiological indexes. Risser staging gives a general measure of skeletal maturity, but it cannot be used as a primary index for driving the treatment of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis since more reliable indexes are available.

Conclusion

Skeletal maturity quantification for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has the potential to significantly modify disease management. However, idiopathic scoliosis is a complex and multifactorial disease: therefore, it is unlikely that a single index will ever be sufficient to predict its evolution. Therefore, as more adolescent idiopathic scoliosis progression-associated indexes are identified, a collective scientific effort should be made to develop a therapeutic strategy based on reliable and reproducible algorithms.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [M.M.], upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was funded by CRUI-CARE and CNR Compact agreement and Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna as a participating institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DIBINEB Dipartimento di scienze biomediche e neuromotorie, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Marco Manzetti, Alberto Ruffilli, Francesca Barile, Giovanni Viroli, Elena Artioli, Antonio Mazzotti & Cesare Faldini

  2. 1st Orthopaedic and Traumatologic Clinic, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Giulio Cesare Pupilli 1, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Marco Manzetti, Alberto Ruffilli, Francesca Barile, Giovanni Viroli, Matteo Traversari, Fabio Vita, Tosca Cerasoli, Alberto Arceri, Elena Artioli, Antonio Mazzotti & Cesare Faldini

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  1. Marco Manzetti
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Contributions

Conceptualization: M.M.; data curation: M.M., F.B., and V.V.; formal analysis: M.M., E.A., and A.A.; investigation: M.M., A.M., and T.C.; project administration: C. and A.R.; resources, F.B., M. M., and M.T.; supervision: C.F., A.R., and A.M.; validation: M.M.; visualization: M.M. and G.V.; writing original draft: M.M., G.V., and F.B.; writing, review, and editing: F.B., M.M., A.R., and A. M. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marco Manzetti.

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The original online version of this article was revised: The original article contains a spelling error in author name. The author “Alberto Arcieri” should read as “Alberto Arceri”.

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Manzetti, M., Ruffilli, A., Barile, F. et al. Is there a skeletal age index that can predict accurate curve progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? A systematic review. Pediatr Radiol 54, 299–315 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-023-05834-z

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