Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar;11(1):41-46.
doi: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.018.

The Clinical Effectiveness of School Screening Programme for Idiopathic Scoliosis in Malaysia

A S Deepak  1 , J Y Ong  2 , Dsk Choon  2 , C K Lee  2 , C K Chiu  2 , Cyw Chan  2 , M K Kwan  2
Affiliations

The Clinical Effectiveness of School Screening Programme for Idiopathic Scoliosis in Malaysia

A S Deepak et al. Malays Orthop J. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: There is no large population size study on school screening for scoliosis in Malaysia. This study is aimed to determine the prevalence rate and positive predictive value (PPV) of screening programme for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Materials and methods: A total of 8966 voluntary school students aged 13-15 years old were recruited for scoliosis screening. Screening was done by measuring the angle of trunk rotation (ATR) on forward bending test (FBT) using a scoliometer. ATR of 5 degrees or more was considered positive. Positively screened students had standard radiographs done for measurement of the Cobb angle. Cobb angle of >10° was used to diagnose scoliosis. The percentage of radiological assessment referral, prevalence rate and PPV of scoliosis were then calculated.

Results: Percentage of radiological assessment referral (ATR >5°) was 4.2% (182/4381) for male and 5.0% (228/4585) for female. Only 38.0% of those with ATR >5° presented for further radiological assessment. The adjusted prevalence rate was 2.55% for Cobb angle >10°, 0.59% for >20° and 0.12% for >40°. The PPV is 55.8% for Cobb angle >10°, 12.8% for >20° and 2.6% for > 40°.

Conclusions: This is the largest study of school scoliosis screening in Malaysia. The prevalence rate of scoliosis was 2.55%. The positive predictive value was 55.8%, which is adequate to suggest that the school scoliosis screening programme did play a role in early detection of scoliosis. However, a cost effectiveness analysis will be needed to firmly determine its efficacy.

Keywords: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; positive predictive value; prevalence; school screening.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Screening protocol of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in Kuala Langat, Malaysia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wong HK, Hui JH, Rajan U, Chia HP. Idiopathic scoliosis in Singapore schoolchildren: a prevalence study 15 years into the screening program. Spine. 2005;30(10):1188–1196. - PubMed
    1. Yong F, Wong HK, Chow KY. Prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis among female school children in Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2009;38(12):1056–1063. - PubMed
    1. Luk KD, Lee CF, Cheung KM, Cheng JC, Ng BK, Lam TP, et al. Clinical effectiveness of school screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a large population-based retrospective cohort study. Spine. 2010;35(17):1607–1614. - PubMed
    1. Suh SW, Modi HN, Yang JH, Hong JY. Idiopathic scoliosis in Korean schoolchildren: a prospective screening study of over 1 million children. Eur Spine J. 2011;20(7):1087–1094. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ueno M, Takaso M, Nakazawa T, Imura T, Saito W, Shintani R, et al. A 5-year epidemiological study on the prevalence rate of idiopathic scoliosis in Tokyo: school screening of more than 250,000 children. J Orthop Sci. 2011;16(1):1–6. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources