Accuracy and Precision of an Ultrasound-Based Device to Measure the Pelvic Tilt in Several Positions

Variations in pelvic tilt during day-to-day activities after total hip arthroplasty measured with an ultrasound system

INTRODUCTION

The pelvis plays a major role in the orientation of total hip arthroplasty (THA) implants and consequently, on the postoperative stability of the new hip joint. The relationship between the spine and pelvis affects the functional orientation of the acetabular cup, although this relationship differs between individuals and the positions encountered in everyday life. We believe this should be factored in when planning the THA procedure. This led us to conduct an in vivo ultrasound study to document the values of pelvic tilt in standing, sitting and lying positions in patients who have advanced hip osteoarthritis, before and after they undergo THA.

HYPOTHESIS

The pelvic tilt when standing, sitting and lying supine does not change significantly after THA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The pelvic tilt, defined as the angle between the anterior pelvic plane and a vertical line was measured using an ultrasound device in 30 patients before the THA procedure and again 6 months later in standing, sitting and lying positions. The measurements were done during an office visit with the patient on an examination table for the lying position, on a chair for the sitting position and with the heels and occiput against the wall for the standing position.

RESULTS

The preoperative and 6-month postoperative pelvic tilt were -5.6̊±10.4̊ [-30.6̊; 11.7̊] and -5.8̊±7.9̊ [-20.6̊; 10.4̊] (p=0.4129) when standing, -44.5̊±6.10 [-53.8̊; -23.9̊] and -43.5̊±6.9̊ [-54.4̊; -17.3̊] (p=0.5760) when sitting, -88.3̊±5.1̊ [-99.3̊; -78.7̊] and -87.9̊±5.9̊ [-97.6̊; -72.4̊] (p=0.6106) when lying supine, respectively. There was no significant difference in the pelvic tilt before and 6 months after THA procedure. Variations of±5̊; ±5-10̊; ±10-15̊ and 15-20̊ were found in 72% (18); 20% (5); 4% (1) and 4% (1) of patients when lying supine, 56% (14); 36% (9); 8% (2); 0% (0) of patients when standing and 76% (19); 24% (6); 0% (0); 0% (0) when sitting. The mean variation for each patient between the preoperative and 6 months postoperative measurement was 4.8±3.4̊ [0.8̊; 10.4̊] (p=0.4129), 3.5±2.3̊ [0.2̊; 9.1̊] (p=0.5760), and 4.6̊±3.2̊ [1.2̊; 15.4̊] (p=0.6106) for the standing, sitting and lying positions respectively.

CONCLUSION

The pelvic tilt does not significantly change 6 months after THA. Taking into account the various positions used in everyday life may help to optimize the implant position. We have described the use of an affordable, accurate and non-irradiating device that provides fast and easy measurements of pelvic tilt in various positions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Orientation of the Scapula in the Standing Position

OBJECTIVES

A new ultrasound-based device is proposed to non-invasively measure the orientation of the scapula in the standing position to consider this parameter for Total Shoulder Arthroplasty. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and reliability of this device.

METHODS

Accuracy was assessed by comparing measurements made with the ultrasound device to those acquired with a three-dimensional (3D) optical localization system (Northern Digital, Canada) on a dedicated mechanical phantom. Three users performed 10 measurements on three healthy volunteers with different body mass (BMI) indices to analyze the reliability of the device by measuring the intra and interobserver variabilities.

RESULTS

The mean accuracy of the device was 0.9°± 0.7 (0.01-3.03), 1.3°± 0.8 (0.03-4.55), 1.9°± 1.5 (0.05-5.76), respectively, in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. The interobserver and intraobserver variabilities were excellent whatever the BMI and the users experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The device is accurate and reliable enough for the measurement of the scapula orientation in the standing position.

Functional safe zone for THA considering the patient-specific pelvic tilts: An ultrasound-based approach

The usual Lewinnek orientation for cup positioning in total hip arthroplasty is not suitable for all patients as it does not consider the patient mobility. We propose an ultrasound-based approach to compute a Functional Safe Zone (FSZ) considering daily positions. Our goal was to validate it, and to evaluate how the input parameters impact the FSZ size and barycentre. The accuracy of the FSZ was first assessed by comparing the FSZ computed by the proposed approach and the true FSZ determined by 3D modelling. Then, the input parameters' impact on the FSZ was studied using a principal component analysis. The FSZ was estimated with errors below 0.5° for mean anteversion, mean inclination, and at edges. The pelvic tilts and the neck orientation were found correlated to the FSZ mean orientation, and the target ROM and the prosthesis dimensions to the FSZ size. Integrated into the clinical workflow, this non-ionising approach can be used to easily determine an optimal patient-specific cup orientation minimising the risks of dislocation.

Implications of the uncertainty of postoperative functional parameters for the preoperative planning of total hip arthroplasty

The functional parameters pelvic tilt (PT) and hip joint force (HJF) are required to calculate patient-specific target zones based on the range of motion (ROM) and implant loading for preoperative planning of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Both functional parameters may change after THA. The preoperative prediction of the postoperative PT and HJF is associated with a specific amount of uncertainty. The prediction uncertainty has to be considered in the preoperative planning process to avoid a suboptimal implantation. So far, very little attention has been paid to the necessary reduction of patient-specific target zones by the prediction uncertainties of postoperative functional parameters. Prediction models for the postoperative PT in standing position and for the HJF during one-leg stance as a surrogate for the peak force phase during level walking were used to quantify the reduction of the ROM- and load-based target zones of 196 Japanese THA patients. The prediction uncertainty was about 14° for the postoperative standing PT and ranged from 17% body weight to 37% body weight for the components of the HJF. On average, the prosthetic ROM-based target zone had to be significantly reduced by 43% and the load-based target zone by 39%. This led to a median reduction of the combined prosthetic ROM- and load-based target zone of 96%. The study sharpens the awareness for the substantial reduction of ROM- and load-based target zones by prediction uncertainties of the postoperative PT and HJF and highlights the importance of further research to improve prediction models for both functional parameters.

An anthropometric-based method for the assessment of pelvis position in three-dimensional space

Determining the pelvis position remains a challenge for clinical therapists and researchers mainly due to the difficulty in assessing its potential triaxial rotations in the upright standing posture. The method described in this study aims to determine the position of the pelvis in the upright standing posture by calculating the Euler/Cardan angles of pelvic rotations based on the triaxial coordinates of the anterior superior iliac spines and the pubic symphysis. The coordinates of these bony landmarks were determined with two laser distance meters and a standard metric ruler, all mounted on a custom-made structure. The calculations of all Euler/Cardan angle rotation sequences for both the internal and external rotations of the pelvis were performed by developing an algorithm that executed via a computer program specifically designed for the purpose of this study. The validity of the algorithm was tested by comparing the actual angles of known positions at which an anatomical model of the pelvis was placed with the calculated angles. Our findings revealed <1° differences between the actual and the calculated angles of pelvis rotations regardless of the axis around which it was rotated suggesting that the proposed method can be used for clinical and research purposes.•

The triaxial coordinates of pelvis bony landmarks can be measured anthropometrically using simple measuring instruments

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Pelvis posture can be determined in 3D space with great accuracy by means of the Euler/Cardan angles

The Patient-Specific Combined Target Zone for Morpho-Functional Planning of Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background Relevant criteria for total hip arthroplasty (THA) planning have been introduced in the literature which include the hip range of motion, bony coverage, anterior cup overhang, leg length discrepancy, edge loading risk, and wear. The optimal implant design and alignment depends on the patient’s anatomy and patient-specific functional parameters such as the pelvic tilt. The approaches proposed in literature often consider one or more criteria for THA planning. but to the best of our knowledge none of them follow an integrated approach including all criteria for the definition of a patient-specific combined target zone (PSCTZ). Questions/purposes (1) How can we calculate suitable THA implant and implantation parameters for a specific patient considering all relevant criteria? (2) Are the resulting target zones in the range of conventional safe zones? (3) Do patients who fulfil these combined criteria have a better outcome score? Methods A method is presented that calculates individual target zones based on the morphology, range of motion and load acting on the hip joint and merges them into the PSCTZ. In a retrospective analysis of 198 THA patients, it was calculated whether the patients were inside or outside the Lewinnek safe zone, Dorr combined anteversion range and PSCTZ. The postoperative Harris Hip Scores (HHS) between insiders and outsiders were compared. Results 11 patients were inside the PSCTZ. Patients inside and outside the PSCTZ showed no significant difference in the HHS. However, a significant higher HHS was observed for the insiders of two of the three sub-target zones incorporated in the PSCTZ. By combining the sub-target zones in the PSCTZ, all PSCTZ insiders except one had an HHS higher than 90. Conclusions The results might suggest that, for a prosthesis implanted in the PSCTZ a low outcome score of the patient is less likely than using the conventional safe zones by Lewinnek and Dorr. For future studies, a larger cohort of patients inside the PSCTZ is needed which can only be achieved if the cases are planned prospectively with the method introduced in this paper. Clinical Relevance The method presented in this paper could help the surgeon combining multiple different criteria during THA planning and find the suitable implant design and alignment for a specific patient.

3D free-hand ultrasound to register anatomical landmarks at the pelvis and localize the hip joint center in lean and obese individuals

3D free-hand ultrasound (3DFUS) is becoming increasingly popular to assist clinical gait analysis because it is cost- and time-efficient and does not expose participants to radiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate its reliability in localizing the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) at the pelvis and the hip joint centers (HJC). Additionally, we evaluated its accuracy to get a rough estimation of the potential to use of 3DFUS to segment bony surface. This could offer potential to register medical images to motion capture data in future. To evaluate reliability, a test–retest study was conducted in 16 lean and 19 obese individuals. The locations of the ASIS were determined by manual marker placement (MMP), an instrumented pointer technique (IPT), and with 3DFUS. The HJC location was also determined with 3DFUS. To quantify reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), the standard error of measurement (SEm), among other statistical parameters, were calculated for the identified locations between the test and retest. To assess accuracy, the surface of a human plastic pelvic phantom was segmented with 3DFUS in a distilled water bath in 27 trials and compared to a 3D laser scan of the pelvis. Regarding reliability, the MMP, but especially the IPT showed high reliability in lean (SEm: 2–3 mm) and reduced reliability in obese individuals (SEm: 6–15 mm). Compared to MMP and IPT, 3DFUS presented lower reliability in the lean group (SEm: 2–4 mm vs. 2–8 mm, respectively) but slightly better values in the obese group (SEm: 7–11 mm vs. 6–16 mm, respectively). Correlations between test–retest reliability and torso body fat mass (% of body mass) indicated a moderate to strong relationship for MMP and IPT but only a weak correlation for the 3DFUS approach. The water-bath experiments indicated an acceptable level of 3.5 (1.7) mm of accuracy for 3DFUS in segmenting bone surface. Despite some difficulties with single trials, our data give further rise to the idea that 3DFUS could serve as a promising tool in future to inform marker placement and hip joint center location, especially in groups with higher amount of body fat.