Algorithm for automatic angles measurement and screening for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH)

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Background:

• Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) is a common infant hip instability.
• Diagnosis relies on radiographic angles like Acetabular Angle and Center Edge Angle from X-rays.
• Manual measurement of these angles can be time-consuming and subjective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a fully automatic algorithm for measuring diagnostic angles in DDH from X-ray images.
• To assess the accuracy and reliability of the automated angle measurements compared to physician assessments.
• To provide a tool that complements existing manual diagnostic methods for DDH.

Main Methods:

• An algorithm was developed for automatic segmentation and landmark extraction from X-ray images.
• The algorithm automatically calculates the Acetabular Angle and Center Edge Angle.
• The method was tested on X-ray images from 16 pediatric patients.

Main Results:

• The automated algorithm achieved approximately 85% accuracy for the Acetabular Angle.
• An average absolute deviation of 3.4°±3.3° was observed for the Acetabular Angle compared to manual physician measurements.
• The algorithm successfully calculated both diagnostic angles automatically.

Conclusions:

• The developed automatic algorithm shows promising results for DDH diagnosis from X-ray images.
• This automated approach has the potential to assist physicians in screening for hip dysplasia.
• Further development could lead to a valuable tool for early and efficient DDH detection.