PURPOSE: Evaluation of treatments of many spine disorders requires precise measurement of the heights of vertebral bodies and disk spaces. The authors present a semiautomated computer algorithm measuring those heights from spine computed tomography (CT) scans and evaluate its precision. METHODS: Eight patients underwent two spine CT scans in the same day. In each scan, five thoracolumbar vertebral heights and four disk heights were estimated using the algorithm. To assess precision, the authors computed the differences between the height measurements in the two scans, coefficients of variation (CV), and 95% limits of agreement. Intraoperator and interoperator precisions were evaluated. For local vertebral and disk height measurement (anterior, middle, posterior) the algorithm was compared to a manual mid-sagittal plane method. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) interscan difference was as low as 0.043 (0.031) mm for disk heights and 0.044 (0.043) mm for vertebral heights. The corresponding 95% limits of agreement were [-0.085, 0.11] and [-0.10, 0.12] mm, respectively. Intraoperator and interoperator precision was high, with a maximal CV of 0.30%. For local vertebral and disk heights, the algorithm improved upon the precision of the manual mid-sagittal plane measurement by as much as a factor of 6 and 4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The authors evaluated the precision of a novel computer algorithm for measuring vertebral body heights and disk heights using short term repeat CT scans of patients. The 95% limits of agreement indicate that the algorithm can detect small height changes of the order of 0.1 mm.
PURPOSE: Evaluation of treatments of many spine disorders requires precise measurement of the heights of vertebral bodies and disk spaces. The authors present a semiautomated computer algorithm measuring those heights from spine computed tomography (CT) scans and evaluate its precision. METHODS: Eight patients underwent two spine CT scans in the same day. In each scan, five thoracolumbar vertebral heights and four disk heights were estimated using the algorithm. To assess precision, the authors computed the differences between the height measurements in the two scans, coefficients of variation (CV), and 95% limits of agreement. Intraoperator and interoperator precisions were evaluated. For local vertebral and disk height measurement (anterior, middle, posterior) the algorithm was compared to a manual mid-sagittal plane method. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) interscan difference was as low as 0.043 (0.031) mm for disk heights and 0.044 (0.043) mm for vertebral heights. The corresponding 95% limits of agreement were [-0.085, 0.11] and [-0.10, 0.12] mm, respectively. Intraoperator and interoperator precision was high, with a maximal CV of 0.30%. For local vertebral and disk heights, the algorithm improved upon the precision of the manual mid-sagittal plane measurement by as much as a factor of 6 and 4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The authors evaluated the precision of a novel computer algorithm for measuring vertebral body heights and disk heights using short term repeat CT scans of patients. The 95% limits of agreement indicate that the algorithm can detect small height changes of the order of 0.1 mm.
Authors: Timothy B Neuschwander; John Cutrone; Brandon R Macias; Samantha Cutrone; Gita Murthy; Henry Chambers; Alan R Hargens Journal: Spine (Phila Pa 1976) Date: 2010-01-01 Impact factor: 3.468
Authors: Dennis M Black; Pierre D Delmas; Richard Eastell; Ian R Reid; Steven Boonen; Jane A Cauley; Felicia Cosman; Péter Lakatos; Ping Chung Leung; Zulema Man; Carlos Mautalen; Peter Mesenbrink; Huilin Hu; John Caminis; Karen Tong; Theresa Rosario-Jansen; Joel Krasnow; Trisha F Hue; Deborah Sellmeyer; Erik Fink Eriksen; Steven R Cummings Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2007-05-03 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Christoph J Siepe; Wolfgang Hitzl; Peter Meschede; Ajay K Sharma; Mohamed F Khattab; Michael H Mayer Journal: Spine (Phila Pa 1976) Date: 2009-04-20 Impact factor: 3.468
Authors: Giuseppe Guglielmi; Francesco Palmieri; Maria Grazia Placentino; Francesco D'Errico; Luca Pio Stoppino Journal: Eur J Radiol Date: 2008-02-01 Impact factor: 3.528
Authors: Meghan G Donaldson; Lisa Palermo; John T Schousboe; Kristine E Ensrud; Marc C Hochberg; Steven R Cummings Journal: J Bone Miner Res Date: 2009-11 Impact factor: 6.741