Scoliosis curve type classification from 3D trunk image

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a deformity of the spine manifested by asymmetry and deformities of the external surface of the trunk. Classification of scoliosis deformities according to curve type is used to plan management of scoliosis patients. Currently, scoliosis curve type is determined based on X-ray exam. However, cumulative exposure to X-rays radiation significantly increases the risk for certain cancer. In this paper, we propose a robust system that can classify the scoliosis curve type from non invasive acquisition of 3D trunk surface of the patients. The 3D image of the trunk is divided into patches and local geometric descriptors characterizing the surface of the back are computed from each patch and forming the features. We perform the reduction of the dimensionality by using Principal Component Analysis and 53 components were retained. In this work a multi-class classifier is built with Least-squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) which is a kernel classifier. For this study, a new kernel was designed in order to achieve a robust classifier in comparison with polynomial and Gaussian kernel. The proposed system was validated using data of 103 patients with different scoliosis curve types diagnosed and classified by an orthopedic surgeon from the X-ray images. The average rate of successful classification was 93.3% with a better rate of prediction for the major thoracic and lumbar/thoracolumbar types.

Non invasive classification system of scoliosis curve types using least-squares support vector machines

Objective To determine scoliosis curve types using non invasive surface acquisition, without prior knowledge from X-ray data. Methods Classification of scoliosis deformities according to curve type is used in the clinical management of scoliotic patients. In this work, we propose a robust system that can determine the scoliosis curve type from non invasive acquisition of the 3D back surface of the patients. The 3D image of the surface of the trunk is divided into patches and local geometric descriptors characterizing the back surface are computed from each patch and constitute the features. We reduce the dimensionality by using principal component analysis and retain 53 components using an overlap criterion combined with the total variance in the observed variables. In this work, a multi-class classifier is built with least-squares support vector machines (LS-SVM). The original LS-SVM formulation was modified by weighting the positive and negative samples differently and a new kernel was designed in order to achieve a robust classifier. The proposed system is validated using data from 165 patients with different scoliosis curve types. The results of our non invasive classification were compared with those obtained by an expert using X-ray images. Results The average rate of successful classification was computed using a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. The overall accuracy of the system was 95%. As for the correct classification rates per class, we obtained 96%, 84% and 97% for the thoracic, double major and lumbar/thoracolumbar curve types, respectively. Conclusion This study shows that it is possible to find a relationship between the internal deformity and the back surface deformity in scoliosis with machine learning methods. The proposed system uses non invasive surface acquisition, which is safe for the patient as it involves no radiation. Also, the design of a specific kernel improved classification performance.