基于自由臂三维超声成像的青少年脊柱侧凸评价方法研究

Adolescent scoliosis (AS) is a three-dimensional (3D) deformity of the spine that occurs at puberty and before skeletal maturity. AS is one of the common bone diseases affecting the skeletal development of adolescents. If it is left untreated, progression of the spinal deformity may affect lung and heart function, or compress the spinal cord resulting in paraplegia. Currently, radiography is the most widely used imaging modality for diagnosing scoliosis and following its progression. However, taking radiographs introduces detrimental radiation exposure. In addition, two-dimensional radiographic images cannot adequately illustrate the true 3D severity of the deformity. This project will develop a new way to evaluate scoliosis based on ultrasound. The first study will focus on developing techniques for freehand 3D ultrasound imaging of the spine region. We will attempt to create 3D reconstruction tools that incorporate prior knowledge of vertebral shape and use the parallel computations for fast 3D ultrasonic imaging of the whole spine with high resolution. The second study will focus on developing feature extraction and clustering techniques for analysis of these 3D images. Comparing the extracted ultrasonic features with traditional diagnostic features obtained from radiographs will then allow us to develop ultrasonic indices and classification rules for AS. The third study will focus on developing regression and optimization algorithms to analyze the scoliotic progression patterns. This will then allow us to develop approaches for quantitatively evaluating the possibility of scoliosis progression and for aiding treatment decisions. This project aims to develop an ultrasonic evaluation system and the corresponding theories and techniques, which will provide a convenient, reliable, objective, quantitative, and safe way for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of AS without radiation exposure.

青少年脊柱侧凸是青春期骨骼发育成熟前发生的三维脊柱畸形，是危害青少年骨骼发育的常见病。若不及时进行正确医疗干预，快速发展的脊柱畸形可影响心肺功能，甚至压迫脊髓造成截瘫。目前X线是诊断脊柱侧凸并跟踪其发展状态的最常用成像模式，但X线成像存在辐射伤害,而且二维X线图像难以全面反映三维畸形特征。本项目基于超声技术，提出评价脊柱侧凸的新思路：一是研究自由臂三维超声成像技术，提出结合椎体形状先验的三维重建方法，并应用并行计算实现快速高分辨率全脊柱超声三维成像；二是研究特征提取和聚类方法，分析三维脊柱影像，通过比较所提取的超声特征和传统X线诊断特征，提出超声评价指标和超声分型规则；三是研究回归和优化算法，探索畸形发展规律，提出定量评价侧凸发展可能性的方法，并辅助决策治疗方案。以期建立一套超声评价系统以及相应的理论依据和技术手段,为青少年脊柱侧凸的临床诊治提供一种便捷、可靠、客观量化且安全无辐射的方式。

针对目前常用的脊柱X线成像存在辐射伤害,而且二维X线图像难以全面反映三维脊柱畸形特征等问题。本项目基于超声技术，提出评价脊柱侧凸的新思路：一是研究自由臂三维超声成像技术，提出快速高分辨率全脊柱超声三维成像方法；二是研究特征提取和聚类方法，分析三维脊柱影像，通过比较所提取的超声特征和传统X线诊断特征，提出超声评价指标；三是提出计算机辅助脊柱侧凸分型的方法，并辅助决策治疗方案。建立了一套超声评价系统以及相应的理论依据和技术手段,为青少年脊柱侧凸的临床诊治提供一种便捷、可靠、客观量化且安全无辐射的方式。