Three-dimensional diagnosis of scoliosis - the Zebris computer system for examining body posture.

Scoliosis is a general term for a group of diseases caused by a change in the shape and position of the spine [6]. According to the Scoliosis Research Society, scoliosis is bending of the spine with the Cobb angle of at least 10° measured on the radiograph [13,19,20]. The condition, which is colloquially called the lateral abnormal curvature of the spine, is actually a three-dimensional deformation [1,4,17].

Monitoring adverse changes in the structure and posture of the body is an important element of assessing health condition. Measuring the Cobb angle on the radiograph of the spine is the basic way to evaluate the size of scoliosis. However, due to exposure to radiation, the examination cannot be freely repeated which prevents the patient from the possibility of ongoing monitoring [7,21]. The three-dimensional nature of scoliosis suggests a need for specific diagnostics including the evaluation in all three planes.

The Zebris CMS10 apparatus is a modern device for a non-invasive examination of body posture [15]. The...