Figure 7

In electronic signaling, phase is an expression of relativemovements between two waves: when they have the apexes coincident they are "in phase". Looking at the curves of scoliosis in the frontal plane and kyphosis/lordosis in the sagittal, they can be imagined as waves: by analogy, we called the relationship between these two "waves", one physiological, the other pathological, Phase, because it takes into account the reciprocal relationship (localization and morphology) among them. In this Figure three different clinical situations in which the classical radiographic curves can be defined "in phase" (isophasic) or not "in phase" (anisophasic) have been simulated. In these hypothetical clinical cases all scoliosis curves have an amplitude of 30° Cobb and all sagittal curves of 40°. A. Isophasic scoliosis: double frontal curve with identical apex vertebrae in the frontal and sagittal planes; the right thoracic curve and kyphosis have both the apex in T6, while the left lumbar and lordosis in L3. B. First anisophasic scoliosis: double frontal curve with a slight difference between the apex vertebrae in the frontal and sagittal planes; the right thoracic curve has the apex in T6 while kyphosis in T5, the left lumbar in L3 and lordosis in L2. C. Second anisophasic scoliosis: double frontal curve with an important difference between the apex vertebrae in the frontal and sagittal planes; the right thoracic curve has the apex in T7 while kyphosis in T4, the left lumbar in L4 and lordosis in L1.