We agreed to let our child be part of a special study at our University. They are using a new technology to monitor her scoliosis. It’s called the Quantum system. It doesn’t involve taking X-rays, which is why we are interested. My question is how reliable is it? What if it doesn’t show changes and she gets worse but we don’t know it?

You are most likely referring to the Quantec System, which is indeed, a noninvasive, nonradiographic way to monitor changes in the spine for children with scoliosis. Studies show that the Q-angles measured by this system match closely to the Cobb angle on X-rays used to measure the curve.

You may be relieved to know that the Quantec System appears to be even more accurate in detecting curve progression than X-rays. A study done at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin showed Quantec detected curves getting worse a full year sooner than X-rays.

The Quantec System does not diagnose scoliosis. An X-ray is still needed for that. But it is reliable and accurate for mild-to-moderate curves of unknown cause.