• Jin-Young Lee, Seong-Hwan Moon, Han Jo Kim, Moon Soo Park, Bo-Kyung Suh, Ji Hoon Nam, Jae Kyun Jung, and Hwan-Mo Lee.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Medical College of Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2014 May 1; 55 (3): 773-8.

PurposeSchool screening allows for early detection and early treatment of scoliosis, with the purpose of reducing the number of patients requiring surgical treatment. Children between 10 and 14 years old are considered as good candidates for school screening tests of scoliosis. The purpose of the present study was to assess the epidemiological findings of idiopathic scoliosis in 11-year-old Korean adolescents.Materials And MethodsA total of 37856 11-year-old adolescents were screened for scoliosis. There were 17110 girls and 20746 boys. Adolescents who were abnormal by Moire topography were subsequently assessed by standardized clinical and radiological examinations. A scoliotic curve was defined as 10° or more.ResultsThe prevalence of scoliosis was 0.19% and most of the curves were small (10° to 19°). The ratio of boys to girls was 1:5.5 overall. Sixty adolescents (84.5%) exhibited single curvature. Thoracolumbar curves were the most common type of curve identified, followed by thoracic and lumbar curves.ConclusionThe prevalence of idiopathic scoliosis among 11-year-old Korean adolescents was 0.19%.

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