Reliability Analysis of Vertebral Landmark Labelling on Lumbar Spine X-ray Images

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Vertebral landmark identification on X-ray images is vital for objective and quantitative diagnosis.
• Existing research primarily focuses on the reliability of the Cobb angle, with limited studies on landmark point location reliability.
• Accurate landmark point localization is fundamental for generating reliable geometric features like lines and angles in spinal imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a reliability analysis of vertebral landmark points and endplate lines on lumbar spine X-ray images.
• To establish a standardized operating procedure (SOP) for landmark labelling to minimize errors.
• To provide a reference for measurement errors in landmark detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 1000 pairs of anteroposterior and lateral view lumbar spine X-ray images.
• Involved 12 manual medicine experts as raters for the landmark labelling process.
• Developed and implemented a consensus-based standard operating procedure (SOP) to guide labelling and reduce errors.

Main Results:

• Achieved high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranging from 0.934 to 0.991, confirming the reliability of the labelling process.
• Presented means and standard deviations of measurement errors for landmark points and lines.
• The proposed SOP demonstrated significant reliability in vertebral landmark labelling.

Conclusions:

• The standardized operating procedure (SOP) ensures high reliability for vertebral landmark point and endplate line identification on lumbar spine X-rays.
• The findings provide valuable data on measurement errors, serving as a benchmark for both manual and automated landmark detection methods.
• This study enhances the accuracy and consistency of spinal imaging analysis for diagnostic purposes.