Escoliosis idiopática del adolescente en la Provincia de Jujuy: Chequeo selectivo 2007-2009

background: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a deformity that affects mainly girls after 10 years of age. the limited number of epidemiological studies made in argentina, none of them in our province, led us to study its frequency and distribution in school-age children, the utility of our selective evaluation and the selection criteria results. methods: the school-age population that attends the school health service of the provincial ministry of health once a year was selectively screened. pediatricians selected the suspicious cases for radiological testing. subsequently they were referred to an orthopedist for re-examination. results: from june 2007 to june 2010, 9,997 children were examined, of which 144 were selected. the general prevalence of ais was 0.47%, and it was most frequently found in girls. of 47 children, 31 had curves between 10 and 19°, 12 had curves between 20 and 39°, and 4 had curves larger than 40°. of all those, 30 children would have required some type of control or treatment. the adams test was highly sensitive, and the plumb line test was highly specific. conclusions: the prevalence of ais was lower than that habitually reported. selective evaluation decreased the percentage of referrals and allowed to detect significant curves for early treatment.