Boys should be screened for scoliosis -- lateral curvature of the spine -- at an older age than girls, say UC Davis medical researchers. The researchers, Dr. Lori A. Karol and Michael Madison, of the orthopaedic surgery department, recently evaluated 210 boys, 8 years and older, with spinal curvatures of at least 10 degrees. They found that the risk of progression was significantly greater for children assessed to be at an earlier developmental stage regardless of their chronological age, and for those who were younger. The risk of progression also was greater for patients who had larger curves when examined. Compared with girls, boys demonstrated a later onset and later progression of their curves.