Related Experiment Video For Cobb angle
Updated: Jul 2, 2025
Cell-based Assay Protocol for the Prognostic Prediction of Idiopathic Scoliosis Using Cellular Dielectric Spectroscopy
Published on: October 16, 2013
Deep learning algorithm for automatically measuring Cobb angle in patients with idiopathic scoliosis
Ming Xing Wang1, Jeoung Kun Kim1, Jin-Woo Choi2
1Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan-Si, Republic of Korea.
Purpose:
The Cobb angle is a standard measurement to qualify and track the progression of scoliosis. However, the Cobb angle has high inter- and intra-observer variability. Consequently, its measurement varies with vertebrae and may even differ when the same vertebra is measured. Therefore, it is not constant and differs with measurements. This study aimed to develop a deep learning model that automatically measures the Cobb angle. The deep learning model for identifying vertebrae on spine radiographs was developed.
Methods:
The dataset consisted of 297 images that were divided into two subsets for training and validation. Two hundred and twenty-seven images (76.4%) were used to train the model, while 70 images (23.6%) were used as the validation dataset. Absolut error between the measurements by the observer and developed deep learning model and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Results:
The average absolute error between the measurements was 1.97° with a standard deviation of 1.57°. In addition, 95.9% of the angles had an absolute error of less than 5°. The ICC was calculated to assess the model's reliability further. The ICC was 0.981, indicating excellent reliability.
Conclusions:
The authors believe the model will be useful in clinical practice by relieving clinicians of the burden of having to manually compute the Cobb angle. Further studies are needed to enhance the accuracy and versatility of this deep learning model.
