Characterizing hip joint morphology using a multitask deep learning model

Deep learning is revolutionizing medical imaging analysis by enabling the classification of various pathoanatomical conditions at scale. Unfortunately, there have been a limited number of accurate and efficient machine learning (ML) algorithms that have been developed for the diagnostic workup of morphological hip pathologies, including developmental dysplasia of the hip and femoroacetabular impingement. The current study reports on the performance of a novel ML model with YOLOv5 and ConvNeXt-Tiny architecture in predicting the morphological features of these conditions, including cam deformity, ischial spine sign, dysplastic appearance, and other abnormalities. The model achieved 78.0% accuracy for detecting cam deformity, 87.2% for ischial spine sign, 76.6% for dysplasia, and 71.6% for all abnormalities combined. The model achieved an Area under the Receiver Operating Curve of 0.89 for ischial spine sign, 0.80 for cam deformity, 0.80 for dysplasia, and 0.81 for all abnormalities combined. Inter-rater agreement among surgeons, assessed using Gwet's AC1, was substantial for dysplasia (0.83) and all abnormalities (0.88), and moderate for ischial spine sign (0.75) and cam deformity (0.61).