Stud Health Technol Inform. 2010;158:157-166. http://booksonline.iospress.nl/Content/View.aspx?piid=17010 European braces widely used for conservative scoliosis treatment Theodoros B. GRIVAS a,1 , Angelos KASPIRIS b a1 Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Scoliosis Clinic, "Tzanio" General Hospital of Piraeus,– NHS, Tzani & Afendouli str, 18536, Piraeus, Greece b Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, "Thriasio" General Hospital – NHS, G. Gennimata Av. 19600, Magoula, Attica, Greece Abstract. Introduction. A systematic examination of the braces commonly used lacks in literature. Objectives. Description of the European braces widely used. Methods. The history, design rationale, indications, biomechanics, outcomes and comparison between some braces are reported Results. Cheneau Brace is used in France and other European Countries. There are two Cheneau derivatives, namely the Rigo System Cheneau Brace used in Spain and the ScoliOlogiC® “Chêneau light” used in Germany. The Lyonnaise Brace is used in France and Italy. The Dynamic Derotating Brace DDB is used in Greece. The TriaC brace is applied in the Netherlands. The Sforzesco brace based on the SPoRT concept and the Progressive Action Short Brace PASB are used in Italy. Conclusion - Significance. Correction of spinal deformities is achieved in conservative treatment with passive and active brace mechanisms. The mode of operation of modern braces is in accordance with various principles of correction, namely active or passive extension with the aid of a neck ring and correction by lateral pads, lateral pressure according to 3 – point principle, compression, bending the trunk towards the opposite side, active bracing and correction by means of pressure exerted by bands during movement and by means of metallic blades. Recently there has been an effort to expand our insight on the biomechanics, the treatment management principles and the outcome description of the above mentioned braces. The peer review publications on these studies mandate the use of the SOSORT and SRS inclusion and assessment criteria for conservative scoliosis treatment. Keywords. European scoliosis braces, Cheneau Brace, Rigo System Cheneau Brace, ScoliOlogiC® “Chêneau light”, Lyonnaise Brace, Dynamic Derotating Brace DDB, TriaC brace, Sforzesco brace, Progressive Action Short Brace PASB Introduction Several published articles suggest that an untreated progressive idiopathic scoliosis (IS) curve may present a poor prognosis into adulthood including back pain, pulmonary compromise, cor pulmonale, psychosocial effects, and even death [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Bracing, even though it hasn’t gained complete acceptance, has been the basis of non-operative treatment for IS for nearly 60 years, [7]. The majority of publications in the peer review literature refer to braces used in North America, [8], and there is a lack of systematic examination of the braces commonly used in Europe. The aim of this report, based on peer review publications on the issue, is to concisely describe the European braces which are widely used, focusing on their history, design rationale, indications, biomechanics, outcomes and comparison between them. Cheneau Brace, the two Cheneau derivative braces, namely the Rigo System Cheneau and the ScoliOlogiC® “Chêneau light”, the Lyonnaise Brace, the Dynamic Derotating Brace (DDB) the TriaC brace, the Sforzesco brace and the Progressive Action Short Brace PASB will be described. 1. Cheneau Brace