Cobb angle
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
Related to Cobb angle: Risser sign
Cobb method
(kob),a technique used in scoliosis to determine the degree of curvature of the spine; the measurement is made by drawing a perpendicular to a line drawn across the superior endplate of the upper-end (most tilted) vertebra and the inferior endplate of the lower-end vertebra; the angle formed by the intersection of the two perpendicular lines is the Cobb angle, which is the measure of the magnitude of the curve.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Cobb angle
(kob) [J.R. Cobb, 20th-cent. U.S. orthopedic surgeon]
The angle formed by the intersection of two lines drawn on a spinal radiograph of a person (usually a child or adolescent) suspected of having scoliosis. One line is drawn parallel to the lower surface of the lowest affected vertebral body, and the other is drawn parallel to the upper surface of the highest affected body. Angles of greater than 10% are diagnostic of scoliosis.
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners
Cobb angle
A measure of the curvature of scoliosis, determined by measurements made on x rays.
Mentioned in: Scoliosis
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.