Due to how the severity of degenerative scoliosis is assessed, this retrospective study aimed to develop and evaluate the reliability of a novel automatic method that measured Cobb angles on lumbar MRI in degenerative scoliosis (DS) patients. The authors developed a 3D artificial intelligence algorithm that was trained on 447 lumbar MRI. The study concluded that the AI-based algorithm offered reliable Cobb angle measurement on routine MRI for DS patients, which could potentially have applications to reduce the reliance on conventional radiographs and improve patient care.
Key points:
- While often available, MRI images are rarely utilized to determine the severity of degenerative scoliosis.
- The presented MRI Cobb angle algorithm is more reliable than humans in patients with degenerative scoliosis.
- Radiographic imaging for Cobb angle measurements is mitigated when lumbar MRI images are available.
Authors: Jasper W. van der Graaf, Miranda L. van Hooff, Bram van Ginneken, Merel Huisman, Matthieu Rutten, Dominique Lamers, Nikolas Lessmann & Marinus de Kleuver