Since 1970, the moiré phenomenon has been employed as a method of clinical diagnosis in topographical analyses of the human body. As a postural evaluation method, the moiré topography (MT) assists in the examination of postural deviations on frontal, sagittal and transversal planes, through the analysis of a single image (topogram) of the subject's backside. This study aimed to carry out a literature review whose approach included the main characteristics of the moiré phenomenon and its use as a topographical method for clinical analyses, particularly those related to postural deviations. A literature survey of the main sources of international and national academic research was made and all the material collected from this survey then underwent a pre-established selection criteria and analysis. The results showed an evolution in the method of moiré topography, that is, an increasing concern to improve the accuracy and precision of the method, as well as to facilitate the interpretations of the topograms by means of the use of softwares. It was mainly observed that the shadow and projection moiré techniques were more used than the other techniques of moiré. In addition to this, it was apparent that the methodological procedures of moiré topography are not well defined in literature. Although MT has shown to be very useful in the detection of vertebral column deformities, it was verified that there exists a great lack of studies that have applied this technique to clinically evaluate adults and the elderly. The majority of studies involve the tracking of scoliosis in school age children, because it is a public health issue.
Moiré Topography; Diagnosis; Posture; Scoliosis; Spine; Review
