Evaluation of angle trunk rotation measurements to improve quality and safety in the management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

An evaluation strategy with ATR measurements provides for a reliable, cost-effective and safety advantage in the monitoring of curve progression in both skeletally mature and immature patients with AIS. These findings suggest that stable ATR measurements are a safe and cost effective alternative to serial radiographs in the clinical monitoring of AIS. Recent evidence from 25 years of scoliosis treatment in Denmark noted a cancer rate 17 times that of an age-matched population. Thus, reducing radiation exposure during scoliosis monitoring using ATR measurements has important clinical significance for cancer risk reduction.