Automatic measurements of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis
Study Design: Development of an automatic measurement algorithm and comparison with manual measurement methods. Objectives: To develop a new computer-based method for automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis from computed tomography images, and to compare the automatic method with two manual measurement techniques. Summary of Background Data: Techniques have been developed for vertebral rotation measurement in idiopathic scoliosis using plain radiographs, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance images. All of these techniques require manual selection of landmark points and are therefore subject to inter and intra-observer error. Methods: We develop a new method for automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis using a symmetry ratio algorithm. The automatic method provided values comparable with Aaro and Ho’s manual measurement methods for a set of 19 transverse computed tomography slices through apical vertebrae, and with Aaro’s method for a set of 204 reformatted computed tomography images through vertebral endplates. Results: 95% confidence intervals for intra and inter-observer variability using manual methods were in the range 5.5-7.2 degrees. The mean (+/-SD) difference between automatic and manual rotation measurements for the 19 apical images was -0.5 degrees +/- 3.3 degrees for Aaro’s method, and 0.7 degrees +/- 3.4 degrees for Ho’s method. The mean (+/-SD) difference between automatic and manual rotation measurements for the 204 endplate images was 0.25 degrees +/- 3.8 degrees. Conclusions: the symmetry ratio algorithm allows automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis without intra or inter-observer error due to landmark point selection.
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|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Additional Information:||Author contact details: firstname.lastname@example.org|
|Keywords:||Vertebral rotation, idiopathic scoliosis, automatic measurement, computed tomography, symmetry ratio algorithm|
|Subjects:||Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > ENGINEERING (090000) > BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (090300) > Biomechanical Engineering (090302)|
|Divisions:||Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering|
|Copyright Owner:||Copyright 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|
|Copyright Statement:||This is the author-version of the work. The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, < Spine : An international journal for the study of the spine 31(3):E80-E83. 2006, © < Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.|
|Deposited On:||22 Jun 2006|
|Last Modified:||29 Feb 2012 13:19|
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