Spine
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Retrospective comparative study using prospectively collected data. ⋯ 2.
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Retrospective case series. ⋯ 3.
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Retrospective analysis of a population-based database. ⋯ 4.
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Cross-sectional, questionnaire study. ⋯ Findings highlight extreme variability in practice associated with a notable lack of standard of care and provide a baseline for utility studies that may lead to more evidence-driven care.
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Observational Study
Scheuermann's Disease: Evaluation of Radiological Criteria and Population Prevalence.
Study Design: Observational population-based studyObjective: Determine the prevalence of radiographic Scheuermann's disease in a Dutch population and evaluate the consistency of diagnostic criteria. Summary of Background Data: Scheuermann's disease is a form of osteochondrosis characterized by increased posterior rounding of the thoracic spine with structural vertebral deformity. Different expert-opinion based radiological criteria exist, yet these have not been validated. ⋯ Adjustment of the kyphosis angle criterion from 45 to 40 or 35 degrees increased the number of cases marginally, corresponding to prevalence estimates not significantly different from the estimates using original criteria (4.2% [3.3-4.7%] and 4.4% [3.6%-5.2%]). Conclusion: Our results revealed a prevalence of 4.0% of radiographic Scheuermann's disease in Dutch individuals aged 45 years and over. Although there is no current gold standard for the radiographic definition, standardized scoring of independent features resulted in substantial inter-observer agreement, and different applications of diagnostic criteria did not significantly alter the classification.