We evaluated the effects over a ten-year period of a program for early
detection and treatment of idiopathic scoliosis in a stable population of
1.5 million people. Seven hundred and twenty-five patients with a scoliosis
of more than 20 degrees (as measured with Cobb's method) and who were
twenty years old or younger were followed during this period. Although
treatment principles remained essentially the same, the percentage of
patients who required an operation each year decreased. The magnitude of
the ten most severe curves detected each year decreased from an average of
64 degrees to 44 degrees. Efforts to detect scoliosis early have resulted
in a threefold increase in the number of patients treated for
scoliosis.