Comparative characteristics of radiologic methods for the evaluation of thoracic kyphosis in children

Significance of radiometric methods for the assessment of thoracic kyphosis was studied in 100 children with degenerative-dystrophic spine pathology and in 50 healthy children. It was shown that in disturbances of the vertebral body shape the routine methods of examination had significant errors. Proposed original method for the measurement of kyphotic deformity by the posterior bone structures allows to avoid such mistakes. Results of the evaluation of kyphosis degree using this method do not greatly differ from the data obtained by Ferguson’s method which is considered to be the more accurate one. The proposed method can be used side by side with the other generally accepted methods as well as for the elaboration of the pathologic kyphosis classification.