Author/Authors :
Moftian, Nazila Department of Health Information Technology - Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics - Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran , Samad Soltani , Taha Department of Health Information Technology - Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics - Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran , Salahzadeh, Zahra Department of Physiotherapy - Faculty of Rehabilitation - Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran , Pourfeizi, Hojjat Hossein Faculty of Medicine - Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran , Gheibi, Yousef Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering - University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran , Fazlollahi, Amir Australian eHealth Research Center - Health and Biosecurity, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia , Rezaei-Hachesu, Peyman Department of Health Information Technology - Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics - Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract :
Background: One of the spine deformities is scoliosis, and Cobb angle is generally used to assess it.
Objectives: In this study, a computer-aided measurement system (CAMS) was presented as a new repeatable and reproducible ap-
proach to assess the Cobb angle in idiopathic scoliosis patients.
Methods: Python libraries, including OpenCV and Numpy were used for image processing and design of the software. To assess the
repeatability and reproducibility of the CAMS, a series of 98 anterior-posterior radiographs from patients with idiopathic scoliosis
were used. Assessments were done by five independent observers. Each radiograph was assessed by each observer three times with
a minimum break of two weeks among assessment. The single measure intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the mean absolute
difference (MAD), and the standard error measurement (SEM) values were used for intra- and inter-observer reliability.
Results: The inter-observer analysis indicated that the ICCs ranged from 0.94 - 0.99, and the MAD between manual and CAMS were
less than 3°. For intra-observer measurements, the combined SEM between all observers for the manual and CAMS was 1.79° and 1.27°,
respectively. An ICC value of 0.97 with 95% confidence interval (CI) was excellent in CAMS for inter-observer reliability. The MAD of
CAMS was 2.18 ± 2.01 degrees.
Conclusions: The CAMS is an effective and reliable approach for assessing scoliotic curvature in the standing radiographs of
thoraco-lumbar. Moreover, CAMS can accelerate clinical visits, and its calculation results are reliable.
Keywords :
Cobb Angle , Scoliosis , Spine Deformity , Spine Deformity , Radiography , Image Processing , Decision Support System
