Optimal configurations of an electromagnetic tracking system for 3D ultrasound imaging of pediatric hips - A phantom study.

Tracking the position and orientation of a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound scanner to reconstruct a 3D volume is common, and its accuracy is important. In this study, a specific miniaturized electromagnetic (EM) tracking system was selected and integrated with a 2D ultrasound scanner, which was aimed to capture hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum configuration, including the distance between the EM source and sensor, to provide maximum accuracy.

Ultrasonic mapping of midpalatal suture - An ex-vivo study.

Objective: Rapid maxillary expansion is a common orthodontic procedure to correct maxillary constriction. Assessing the midpalatal suture (MPS) expansion plays a crucial role in treatment planning to determine its effectiveness. The objectives of this preliminary investigation are to demonstrate a proof of concept that the palatal bone underlying the rugae can be clearly imaged by ultrasound (US) and the reconstructed axial view of the US image accurately maps the MPS patency.

Validation of an artificial intelligence-based method to automate Cobb angle measurement on spinal radiographs of children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: Accurately measuring the Cobb angle on radiographs is crucial for diagnosis and treatment decisions for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, manual Cobb angle measurement is time-consuming and subject to measurement variation, especially for inexperienced clinicians.

Aim: This study aimed to validate a novel artificial-intelligence-based (AI) algorithm that automatically measures the Cobb angle on radiographs.

Ultrasound Imaging of Hip Displacement in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Objective: An approach to estimation of hip displacement on ultrasound (US) images is described. Its accuracy is validated through numerical simulation, an in vitro study with 3-D-printed hip phantoms and pilot in vivo data.

Methods: A diagnostic index, migration percentage (MP), is defined by the ratio of acetabulum-femoral head distance to femoral head width.

Results of ultrasound-assisted brace casting for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: Four factors have been reported to affect brace treatment outcome: (1) growth or curve based risk, (2) the in-brace correction, (3) the brace wear quantity, and (4) the brace wear quality. The quality of brace design affects the in-brace correction and comfort which indirectly affects the brace wear quantity and quality. This paper reported the immediate benefits and results on using ultrasound (US) to aid orthotists to design braces for the treatment of scoliosis.

High-Resolution Ultrasonic Imaging of Dento-Periodontal Tissues Using a Multi-Element Phased Array System.

Intraoral ultrasonography uses high-frequency mechanical waves to study dento-periodontium. Besides the advantages of portability and cost-effectiveness, ultrasound technique has no ionizing radiation. Previous studies employed a single transducer or an array of transducer elements, and focused on enamel thickness and distance measurement.

Validity Study of Vertebral Rotation Measurement Using 3-D Ultrasound in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

This study aimed to assess the validity of 3-D ultrasound measurements on the vertebral rotation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) under clinical settings. Thirty curves (mean Cobb angle: 21.7° ± 15.

Reliability of the axial vertebral rotation measurements of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using the center of lamina method on ultrasound images: in vitro and in vivo study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the intra- and inter-observer reliability of the axial vertebral rotation (AVR) measurements of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) using the center of lamina (COL) method on ultrasound transverse images.

Methods: Three cadaver vertebrae were scanned with 42 AVR configurations by both ultrasound and radiograph. In this in vitro study, four observers measured the AVR using the COL method on ultrasound transverse images and three observers measured the AVR using the Stokes' method on radiographs.

3D ultrasound imaging method to assess the true spinal deformity.

Spinal deformity is a three-dimensional (3D) spinal disorder with a lateral deviation and coupled with axial vertebral rotation (AVR). The current clinical practice only measures its severity on postero-anterior (PA) radiographs, which may underestimate the deformity. The actual severity should be obtained on the plane of maximal curvature (PMC), which requires a 3D spinal image.

How quantity and quality of brace wear affect the brace treatment outcomes for AIS.

Purpose: To determine the reliability of a prognostic curve progression model and the role of the quantity and quality of brace wear for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) brace treatment.

Methods: To develop a curve progression model for full-time AIS brace treatment, 20 AIS subjects (Group 1) prescribed full-time thoracolumbar sacral orthosis (TLSO) were monitored and followed for 2 years beyond maturity. The developed curve progression model was: curve progression (in degrees) = 33 + 0.

Reliability and Validity Study of Clinical Ultrasound Imaging on Lateral Curvature of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background: Non-ionizing radiation imaging assessment has been advocated for the patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). As one of the radiation-free methods, ultrasound imaging has gained growing attention in scoliosis assessment over the past decade. The center of laminae (COL) method has been proposed to measure the spinal curvature in the coronal plane of ultrasound image.

Predicting success or failure of brace treatment for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional spinal deformity. Brace treatment is a common non-surgical treatment, intended to prevent progression (worsening) of the condition during adolescence. Estimating a braced patient's risk of progression is an essential part of planning treatment, so method for predicting this risk would be a useful decision support tool for practitioners.

Ultrasound-assisted brace casting for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, IRSSD Best research paper 2014.

Background: Brace treatment is the most effective non-surgical treatment for AIS. High initial in-brace correction increases successful brace treatment outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate if real-time ultrasound (US) can aid orthotists in selecting the pad pressure level and location resulting in optimal in-brace correction of the spine.

Measurement of axial vertebral rotation using three-dimensional ultrasound images.

Background: Axial vertebral rotation (AVR) is one of the important parameters to evaluate the severity and predict the progression of scoliosis. However, the AVR measurements on radiographs may underestimate its actual value. This pilot study investigated a new three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound method to measure AVR.

Validation of 3D surface reconstruction of vertebrae and spinal column using 3D ultrasound data--a pilot study.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional deformity of spine associated with vertebra rotation. The Cobb angle and axial vertebral rotation are important parameters to assess the severity of scoliosis. However, the vertebral rotation is seldom measured from radiographs due to time consuming.

Correlation between Cobb angle, spinous process angle (SPA) and apical vertebrae rotation (AVR) on posteroanterior radiographs in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy and reliability of the Cobb angle, the spinous process angle (SPA), and apical vertebral rotation (AVR) for measuring adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and to evaluate the correlations between these measurements.

Methods: A retrospective study of two sets of standing posteroanterior radiographs of patients with AIS was performed. The first set was 59 consecutive patients with AIS with Cobb angles <45° and the second set was 25 patients with Cobb angles >45°.

Multichannel filtering and reconstruction of ultrasonic guided wave fields using time intercept-slowness transform.

Multichannel ultrasonic axial-transmission data are multimodal by nature. As guided waves are commonly used in nondestructive material testing, wave field filtering becomes important because the analysis is usually limited to a few lower-order modes and requires their extraction. An application of the Radon transform to enhance signal-to-noise ratio and separate wave fields in ultrasonic records is presented.

Intra- and Interobserver Reliability of the Cobb Angle-Vertebral Rotation Angle-Spinous Process Angle for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Study Design: A reliability analysis of Cobb angle, vertebral rotation (VR), and spinous process angle (SPA) measurements in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Objective: To determine the intra- and interobserver reliability of semi-automated digital radiograph measurements.

Summary Of Background Data: Cobb angle measurements on posteroanterior radiographs are commonly used to determine the severity of scoliosis.

Reliability of assessing the coronal curvature of children with scoliosis by using ultrasound images.

Purpose: To investigate the intra- and inter-observer reliability of the coronal curvature asymmetry of children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) using the center of lamina (COL) method on ultrasound (US) images.

Methods: A cadaver spinal column phantom which was manipulated to present 30 scoliotic curves of varying severity of scoliotic deformities was scanned using both the US and laser scanner (LS) systems. Three observers of varying experience and skill measured the coronal curvature using the Cobb method on the LS images and the COL method on the US images.

Excitation of ultrasonic Lamb waves using a phased array system with two array probes: phantom and in vitro bone studies.

Long bones are good waveguides to support the propagation of ultrasonic guided waves. The low-order guided waves have been consistently observed in quantitative ultrasound bone studies. Selective excitation of these low-order guided modes requires oblique incidence of the ultrasound beam using a transducer-wedge system.

Ultrasound imaging of long bone fractures and healing with the split-step fourier imaging method.

We applied the split-step Fourier imaging method to back-propagate the ultrasound zero-offset wavefields acquired on the bone surface to the sources of scatterers, which are the reflecting interfaces. The method required, as an input, an estimated slowness (reciprocal of half the velocity) model to map the time-dependent sonogram to the depth image, which provides the geometric properties of the interfaces. The slowness was approximated by a depth-dependent term and a first-order spatially varying perturbation.

Using ultrasound imaging to identify landmarks in vertebra models to assess spinal deformity.

Scoliosis is a type of spinal deformity that commonly develops in adolescents. Cobb angle, using the most tilted vertebrae, is the gold standard to assess scoliosis on radiographs. However, regularly taking radiographs introduces harmful ionizing radiation to patients, thus non-ionizing radiation methods have been explored for many years.

Vertebral rotation measurement: a summary and comparison of common radiographic and CT methods.

Current research has provided a more comprehensive understanding of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) as a three-dimensional spinal deformity, encompassing both lateral and rotational components. Apart from quantifying curve severity using the Cobb angle, vertebral rotation has become increasingly prominent in the study of scoliosis. It demonstrates significance in both preoperative and postoperative assessment, providing better appreciation of the impact of bracing or surgical interventions.