Local-area cartilage segmentation software may identify cartilage loss of the knee joint
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Updated local-area cartilage segmentation software may provide fast, reproducible, responsive and valid quantification of cartilage loss in multiple areas of the knee joint in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to study results.
Researchers used local-area cartilage segmentation (LACS) software to segment cartilage in the medial femur, lateral femur, medial tibia and lateral tibia on sagittal 3D double-echo steady state MRI scans at baseline and 2-year follow-up among Osteoarthritis Initiative participants with symptomatic knee OA. The cohort included 40 knees selected at random and an enriched sample of 126 knees identified with loss of cartilage based on manually segmented MRIs (Chondrometrics GmbH), according to researchers.
Researchers compared average cartilage thickness measures from the LACS method and the Chondrometrics method by estimating the correlation in each cartilage plate, as well as estimating standardized response mean for 2-year cartilage change. Researchers also used standardized response mean heat-maps to illustrate cartilage loss topographically.
Results showed LACS and Chondrometrics cartilage thickness measures had an estimated Pearson correlation of 0.91 for the lateral femur, 0.93 for the medial femur, 0.97 for the lateral tibia and 0.87 for the medial tibia. In the random sample of knees, researchers noted similar estimated standardized response means for cartilage volume and thickness measures with the LACS method and the Chondrometrics method. Sub-regions of LACS-measured cartilage loss were identified with standardized response mean heat-maps, according to results.
“The coordinate system that underlines [the LACS] method is computer-driven and based on anatomical landmarks, which allows for consistent longitudinal measurements of cartilage,” the authors wrote. “We also present heat-maps, a parameterization of cartilage plate topography that could be used as a novel method to track cartilage loss over time. We anticipate that the updated LACS method will find applications in future clinical OA trials to monitor treatment response and potentially guide management decisions in patient care.”
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