Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Effectiveness of nighttime vs full-time bracing in the treatment of moderate-grade adolescent idiopathic scoliosis : a secondary analysis of the CONTRAIS trial

Charalampidis, Anastasios ; Diarbakerli, Elias ; Jalalpour, Kourosh ; Ohlin, Acke LU ; Ahl, Anna Aspberg ; Möller, Hans ; Abbott, Allan and Gerdhem, Paul LU (2025) In Acta Orthopaedica 96. p.437-442
Abstract

Background and purpose — Data on effectiveness of nighttime bracing compared with full-time bracing in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is scarce. We aimed to investigate risk of curve progression and surgery with nighttime bracing vs full-time bracing for patients with moderate-grade adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Methods — Skeletally immature individuals with idiopathic scoliosis (25°–40°) treated with a nighttime brace as part of a parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) were compared with non-participants treated with a full-time brace. In the case of curve progression of more than 6° in the nighttime brace group individuals were offered transition to a full-time brace. Surgery was offered if curve sizes were 45° or... (More)

Background and purpose — Data on effectiveness of nighttime bracing compared with full-time bracing in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is scarce. We aimed to investigate risk of curve progression and surgery with nighttime bracing vs full-time bracing for patients with moderate-grade adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Methods — Skeletally immature individuals with idiopathic scoliosis (25°–40°) treated with a nighttime brace as part of a parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) were compared with non-participants treated with a full-time brace. In the case of curve progression of more than 6° in the nighttime brace group individuals were offered transition to a full-time brace. Surgery was offered if curve sizes were 45° or larger. Results — Median age at treatment start was 12.8 years (nighttime brace n = 45, full-time brace n = 44). Female sex (odds ratio [OR] 6.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–37.4), lower Risser grade (OR 1.6, CI 1.01–2.7), and larger curve size at the beginning of brace treatment (OR 1.4, CI 1.2–1.5) increased the risk of curve progression to ≥ 45°. Major curves in the groups were similar at median 33 months’ follow-up (P = 0.7). After 94 months of follow-up, 11 patients in the nighttime brace group and 6 in the full-time brace group had undergone surgery (OR 2.0, CI 0.7–6.1). Conclusion — Nighttime bracing, including a possibility to transition to full-time brace in the case of progression, demonstrated comparable effectiveness in preventing curve progression, but a tendency to a higher risk of surgical treatment.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Acta Orthopaedica
volume
96
pages
6 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:105008727380
  • pmid:40485598
ISSN
1745-3674
DOI
10.2340/17453674.2025.43706
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
712c1b52-9208-44c9-8134-a2fbecbef578
date added to LUP
2026-01-27 10:54:40
date last changed
2026-01-28 03:00:12
@article{712c1b52-9208-44c9-8134-a2fbecbef578,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background and purpose — Data on effectiveness of nighttime bracing compared with full-time bracing in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is scarce. We aimed to investigate risk of curve progression and surgery with nighttime bracing vs full-time bracing for patients with moderate-grade adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Methods — Skeletally immature individuals with idiopathic scoliosis (25°–40°) treated with a nighttime brace as part of a parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) were compared with non-participants treated with a full-time brace. In the case of curve progression of more than 6° in the nighttime brace group individuals were offered transition to a full-time brace. Surgery was offered if curve sizes were 45° or larger. Results — Median age at treatment start was 12.8 years (nighttime brace n = 45, full-time brace n = 44). Female sex (odds ratio [OR] 6.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–37.4), lower Risser grade (OR 1.6, CI 1.01–2.7), and larger curve size at the beginning of brace treatment (OR 1.4, CI 1.2–1.5) increased the risk of curve progression to ≥ 45°. Major curves in the groups were similar at median 33 months’ follow-up (P = 0.7). After 94 months of follow-up, 11 patients in the nighttime brace group and 6 in the full-time brace group had undergone surgery (OR 2.0, CI 0.7–6.1). Conclusion — Nighttime bracing, including a possibility to transition to full-time brace in the case of progression, demonstrated comparable effectiveness in preventing curve progression, but a tendency to a higher risk of surgical treatment.</p>}},
  author       = {{Charalampidis, Anastasios and Diarbakerli, Elias and Jalalpour, Kourosh and Ohlin, Acke and Ahl, Anna Aspberg and Möller, Hans and Abbott, Allan and Gerdhem, Paul}},
  issn         = {{1745-3674}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{437--442}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Acta Orthopaedica}},
  title        = {{Effectiveness of nighttime vs full-time bracing in the treatment of moderate-grade adolescent idiopathic scoliosis : a secondary analysis of the CONTRAIS trial}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2340/17453674.2025.43706}},
  doi          = {{10.2340/17453674.2025.43706}},
  volume       = {{96}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}