Kyphosis - Diagnosis

Imaging Studies:

Lateral spine radiographs demonstrated changes in the sagittalaxis, can detect fused vertebrae, vertebral surface irregularities,unformed vertebral bodies, lack of segmentation, intervertebraldisc collapse, rigid kyphosis.
Radiological criteria for Scheuermann kyphosis include:
-hipercifoza over 40 degrees
articular-sided irregular vertebral body
diminished height of the disc-
3-curvature on the distance of consecutive vertebrae.
Kyphosis is measured by the Cobb technique updated forkyphosis. It is measured in the chest between T1-T12.

MRI is useful to evaluate the neurological complications, the treatment plan for patients.
It assesses bone density for surgery.


The differential diagnosis is made ​​with the following conditions:ankylosing spondylitis, spinal tumors, eosinophilic granuloma,agenesis ovarian disease Willson, epiphysitis, Friedrich ataxia,neurofibromatosis, osteoporosis, Cushing's disease, skeletaldysplasia, spinal tuberculosis.