SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2023
Systematic review of imaging comparisons of spinal alignment among standing positions in healthy adolescents or adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis: SOSORT 2023 award winner.
Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reliability of surface topography for scoliosis assessment: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the COSMIN guideline.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Letter to the editor concerning "the test-retest reliability of frontal, sagittal, and transverse spinal measurements during three standing arm positions in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis measured using ultrasound imaging" by B.J. Fehr, et al. (Eur Spine J [2024]: doi: 10.1007/s00586-024-08576-0).European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- The effect of arm positions used during radiography on spinal alignment parameters assessed by 3D ultrasound imaging in adolescents with and volunteers without idiopathic scoliosis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- The test-retest reliability of frontal, sagittal, and transverse spinal measurements during three standing arm positions in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis measured using ultrasound imaging.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeClinicians detect scoliosis worsening over time using frequent radiographs during growth. Arms must be elevated when capturing sagittal radiographs to visualize the vertebrae, and this may affect the sagittal angles. The aim was to systematically review the published evidence of the effect of arm positions used during radiography on spinal alignment parameters in healthy participants and those with AIS.
methodsDesign was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022347494). A search strategy was run in Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Healthy participants ≥ 10 years old and participants with AIS between 10 and 18 years old, with Cobb angles > 10° were included. Study quality was assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). Meta-analysis was performed where possible.
resultsOverall, 1332 abstracts and 33 full texts were screened. Data was extracted from 7 included studies. The most common positions were habitual standing, fists on clavicle, and active (arms raised unsupported). Kyphosis, lordosis, and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were most measured. Meta-analysis showed significantly decreased kyphosis (SMD = 0.78, 95%CI 0.48, 1.09) and increased lordosis (SMD = - 1.21, 95%CI - 1.58, - 0.85) when clavicle was compared to standing. Significant posterior shifts in SVA were shown in clavicle compared to standing (MD = 30.59 mm, 95%CI 23.91, 37.27) and active compared to clavicle (MD = - 2.01 mm, 95%CI - 3.38, - 0.64). Cobb angles and rotation were rarely studied (1 study).
conclusionMeta-analysis evidence showed elevated arm positions modify sagittal measurements compared to standing. Most studies did not report on all relevant parameters. It is unclear which position best represent habitual standing.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.