Automated noninvasive detection of idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents: A principle validation study

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 17714 - 10
• Main Authors: Sudo, Hideki, Kokabu, Terufumi, Abe, Yuichiro, Iwata, Akira, Yamada, Katsuhisa, Ito, Yoichi M, Iwasaki, Norimasa, Kanai, Satoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 07.12.2018; Nature Publishing Group UK
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Asymmetry; Automation; Child; Children; Demography; Female; Human subjects; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Male; Musculoskeletal diseases; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Radiography - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Scoliosis; Scoliosis - diagnosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Spine
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36360-w

Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common pediatric musculoskeletal disorder that causes a three-dimensional deformity of the spine. Early detection of this progressive aliment is essential. The aim of this study is to determine outcomes using a newly developed automated asymmetry-evaluation system for the surface of the human back using a three-dimensional depth sensor. Seventy-six human subjects suspected to have idiopathic scoliosis were included in this study. Outcome measures include patient demographics, radiographic measurements, and asymmetry indexes defined in the automated asymmetry-recognition system. The mean time from scanning to analysis was 1.5 seconds. For predicting idiopathic scoliosis of greater than 25°, the area under the curve was 0.96, sensitivity was 0.97, and specificity was 0.88. The coefficient of variation for repeatability analyses using phantom models was 1-4%. The intraclass correlation coefficient obtained for intra-observer repeatability for human subjects was 0.995. The system three-dimensionally scans multiple points on the back, enabling an automated evaluation of the back's asymmetry in a few seconds. This study demonstrated discriminative ability in determining whether an examinee requires an additional x-ray to confirm diagnosis.