X-Rays. If screening indicates scoliosis, the child may be sent to a specialist who takes an initial x-ray and monitors the child every few months using repeated x-rays. X-rays are essential for an accurate diagnosis of scoliosis in that they:
Reveal the degree and severity of scoliosis.
Identify any other spinal abnormalities, including kyphosis (hunchback) and hyperlordosis (swayback).
Help the physician determine whether or not skeletal growth has reached maturity.
X-rays taken when patients are bending forward can also help differentiate between structural and nonstructural scoliosis. Structural curves persist when a person bends over, and nonstructural curves tend to disappear. (It should be noted that muscle spasms or spinal growths may sometimes cause nonstructural scoliosis that shows a curve on bending.)
In children and young adolescents who have mild curves and in older adolescents who have more severe curvatures but whose growth has stopped or slowed down, x-rays should be performed every few months in order to detect increasing severity. Young people who are diagnosed with scoliosis should be sure to keep their x-rays indefinitely in case they develop back problems later in adulthood and need to be re-examined.
Protective Measures for Frequent X-Rays
Because frequent x-rays may be required for young children with scoliosis, parents should be sure that x-ray technicians take all necessary protective methods. Experts are concerned about the long-term effects of radiation on sensitive young organs, particularly about a possible increase in the risk for cancer. Studies have reported an increased risk for cancer in women and men who, because of scoliosis, had been exposed to diagnostic x-rays in their childhood and adolescence.
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