The effectiveness of a protocol without routine radiographs for follow-up of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients (CURVE): a study protocol

Background and purpose — Current follow-up proto-cols for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are based on consensus and consist of regular full-spine radiographs to monitor curve progression and surgical complications. Consensus exists to avoid inappropriate use of radiographs in children. It is unknown whether a standard radiologic fol-low-up (S-FU) approach is necessary or if a patient-empow-ered follow-up (PE-FU) approach can reduce the number of radiographs without treatment consequences.

Methods and analyses — A nationwide multicenter pragmatic randomized preference trial was designed for 3 fol-low-up subgroups (pre-treatment, post-brace, post-surgery) to compare PE-FU and S-FU. 812 patients with AIS (age 10–18 years) will be included in the randomized trial or preference cohorts. Primary outcome is the proportion of radiographs with a treatment consequence for each subgroup. Secondary outcomes consist of the proportion of patients with delayed initiation of treatment due to non-routine radiographic fol-low-up, radiation exposure, societal costs, positive predic-tive value, and interrelation of clinical assessment, quality of life, and parameters for initiation of treatment during follow-up. Outcomes will be analyzed using linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for relevant baseline covariates, and are based on intention-to-treat principle. Study summary: (i) a national, multicenter pragmatic randomized trial addressing the optimal frequency of radiographic follow-up in patients with AIS; (ii) first study that includes patient-empowered fol-low-up; (iii) an inclusive study with 3 follow-up subgroups and few exclusion criteria representative for clinical reality; (iv) preference cohorts alongside to amplify generalizability; (v) first study conducting an economic evaluation comparing both follow-up approaches.