Evaluation of AI Performance in Spinal Radiographic Measurements Compared to Radiologists: A Study of Accuracy and Efficiency.

IF 2.7 Q3 IMAGING SCIENCE & PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY

Journal of Imaging Pub Date : 2025-09-10 DOI:10.3390/jimaging11090310

Francesco Pucciarelli, Guido Gentiloni Silveri, Marta Zerunian, Domenico De Santis, Michela Polici, Antonella Del Gaudio, Benedetta Masci, Tiziano Polidori, Giuseppe Tremamunno, Raffaello Persechino, Giuseppe Argento, Marco Francone, Andrea Laghi, Damiano Caruso

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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of an AI-based software tool in measuring spinal parameters-Cobb angle, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and pelvic obliquity-compared to manual measurements by radiologists and to assess potential time savings. In this retrospective monocentric study, 56 patients who underwent full-spine weight-bearing X-rays were analyzed. Measurements were independently performed by an experienced radiologist, a radiology resident, and the AI software. A consensus between two senior experts established the ground truth. Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC), mean absolute error (MAE), ICC, and paired t-tests were used for statistical analysis. The AI software showed excellent agreement with human readers (CCC > 0.9) and demonstrated lower MAE than the resident in Cobb angle and lumbar lordosis measurements but slightly underperformed in thoracic kyphosis and pelvic obliquity. Importantly, the AI significantly reduced analysis time compared to both the experienced radiologist and the resident (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that the AI tool offers a reliable and time-efficient alternative to manual spinal measurements and may enhance accuracy for less experienced radiologists.

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与放射科医生相比，人工智能在脊柱放射测量中的表现评估：准确性和效率的研究。

本研究旨在评估基于人工智能的软件工具在测量脊柱参数（cobb角、胸后凸、腰椎前凸和骨盆倾斜）方面的可靠性，与放射科医生手工测量相比，并评估可能节省的时间。在这项回顾性单中心研究中，对56例接受全脊柱负重x光检查的患者进行了分析。测量由经验丰富的放射科医生、放射科住院医师和人工智能软件独立完成。两位资深专家达成的共识确立了基本事实。采用Lin’s协和相关系数（CCC）、平均绝对误差（MAE）、ICC和配对t检验进行统计分析。人工智能软件显示与人类读者非常一致（CCC > 0.9），并且在Cobb角和腰椎前凸测量中显示比居民低MAE，但在胸后凸和骨盆倾斜方面表现略差。重要的是，与经验丰富的放射科医生和住院医生相比，人工智能显著减少了分析时间（p < 0.001）。这些发现表明，人工智能工具为人工脊柱测量提供了一种可靠且省时的替代方案，并可能提高经验不足的放射科医生的准确性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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