Iphone app use to Cobb angle in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: Does this apply?

OBJECTIVE: To validate a new method of measuring the Cobb angle for scoliosis from the mobile app CobbMeter to facilitate the evaluation and measurement in clinical practice.METHODS: Five observers with minimum experience of two years in the field performed radiographic measurements of Cobb angle in 24 radiographs of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis through the CobbMeter. Observers performed serial measures on the images with the application, which were repeated after one month. The most experienced appraiser of the group, after measurements were made through the application, determined the Cobb angle in each radiography by the traditional method.RESULTS: The mean standard deviation by comparing the angles electronically and manually measured had no clinical significance. Although 40% of electronic measurements are outside the confidence interval when compared to manual measurements, this difference was insignificant in clinical practice.CONCLUSIONS: The CobbMeter is another alternative for measuring Cobb angle in scoliosis.