Clinical value of radiographic clavicle balance for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients

Objective To assess the clinical value of radiographic clavicle balance for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. Methods One hundred and twenty AIS patients with a main thoracic curve admitted to our hospital from June 2010 to December 2011 were included in this study. The patients underwent spinal radiographs and shoulder aesthetic photographs at a natural standing position. Clavicle balance (clavicle angle and difference) parameters and shoulder height were analyzed by correlation analysis and differences between the parameters were compared. The value of clavicle balance parameters for diagnosis of shoulder balance was assessed according to the ROC curve. Results The clavicle difference was closely correlated with the shoulder height(P< 0.05).Although a difference was found between clavicle balance and shoulder height, the area under the ROC curve was < 0.9, indicating that the value of clavicle angle and difference was not high for the diagnosis of clavicle balance. Conclusion Although the clavicle balance is significantly correlated with shoulder height, it cannot accurately predict the clavicle balance, thus physicians need to have an overall understanding of should deformity through other parameters.