motivation

At present, no cure or prevention is available. Treatment is instituted only when the deformity becomes too pronounced or aggressive and consists of intensive brace treatment, at the vulnerable age of puberty. Extensive surgery is an option but is often not fully corrective, sacrifices spine mobility, and causes problems later in life.

Despite knowing that AIS is a 3D deformity, evaluation, monitoring and treatment still focuses on 2D approaches mainly in the coronal (frontal) plane. Furthermore, the objective of treatment is to restore spinal alignment and thus the treatment plan is specific to the spinal curvature and consequently patient-specific. Spinal curvature varies considerably between each patient. The magnitude of deformity depends on its location in the spine, the deformity distribution throughout vertebrae, the three-dimensional degree of spine deviation and the extent of intervertebral discs (IVDs) compromise.