Assessment of Vert-3D repeatability and reproducibility for evaluating the scoliosis of children with different nutritional profiles

Abstract

Introduction: The Vert-3D is a radiation-free system which offers a three dimensional view of the back’s surface, providing a quantitative assessment of spinal curvatures. Objective: To verify the repeatability, inter-rater reproducibility, and correlation between Cobb angles and the results of the Vert-3D system version 1 in the evaluation of the front curvatures of the spine in children with different nutritional profiles. Methods: The sample was composed of 115 children who underwent posterior-anterior panoramic digital radiography of the spine and five evaluations with the Vert-3D system by three trained raters. Results: Version 1 of the Vert-3D system showed: (1) significant and moderate correlations of  repeatability for arrows on the left (ICC between .54 to .83) and significant and moderate correlations for arrows on the right (ICC between .55 to .60) for only normal BMI; (2) significant correlations of inter-rater reproducibility for left arrows (ICC between .47 to .65), weak to moderate correlations for right arrows (ICC between .29 to .60), and no significance for obese samples; and (3) significant correlations ranging between .31 and .60 on the left side and non-significant correlations to the right side between Cobb angles and scoliosis arrows.  Conclusion: High correlation levels solely on the left side decrease the possibility of system-use for the assessment of scoliosis.