A Systematic Review of the Characteristics of Ultrasound Measurements in the Evaluation of Spinal Curvature in Scoliosis Patients

Aims: Scoliosis is one of the secondary complications in amputation veterans, which requires periodic evaluations. The gold standard for evaluating the spine is radiography, which has caused many concerns due to the high doses of X-ray radiation. For this reason, therapists are finding for an alternative method for this tool. Ultrasound is a non-invasive tool with different methods for this purpose. The current research aimed to determine the best method for measuring the curvature of the spine of scoliosis patients by ultrasound. Information Methods: A systematic search was performed from 2000 to 2022 in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases to find articles that examined the reliability and validity of ultrasound to assess the curvature of the spine in people with scoliosis. COSMIN checklist scale was used to survey the quality of researches. Findings: 18 articles were reviewed. In most studies, correct methodological quality was not reported to evaluate internal consistency, measurement error, construct validity, hypothesis testing, cross-cultural validity, responsiveness, and interpretability. Finally, four methods of measuring spinous process angle, spinous process-transverse process angle, transverse process-upper articular process angle, and lamina center method were found for ultrasound. Conclusion: Ultrasound by measuring the center of the lamina is a simple and very reliable method to evaluate the curvatures of the spine of people with scoliosis and can be a suitable alternative to the gold standard of radiography.