Scoliosis

This is a 26 year old woman with idiopathic scoliosis, which is the most common form of this condition. Other potential causes include vertebral anomalies, where a vertebral body does not form properly, as well as some syndromes such as neurofibromatosis. One of the main purposes of the standing full length spine radiograph shown here is to assess something known as the Cobb angle, which is a measurement of the severity of the scoliosis and, in essence, is the angle formed at the apex of the curvature – in this case, the Cobb angle was 29 degrees. Read more about how to measure the Cobb angle here. The calibration ruler (which has radio-opaque markings) positioned behind the patient can be useful for surgical planning if a corrective procedure is being considered.