An integrated platform for hip joint osteoarthritis analysis: design, implementation and results

Purpose We present a software designed to improve hip joint osteoarthritis (OA) understanding using 3D anatomical models, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and motion capture. Methods In addition to a standard static clinical evaluation (anamnesis, medical images examination), the software provides a dynamic assessment of the hip joint. The operator can compute automatically and in real-time the hip joint kinematics from optical motion capture data. From the estimated motion, the software allows for the calculation of the active range of motion, the congruency and the center of rotation of the hip joint and the detection and localization of the femoroacetabular impingement region. All these measurements cannot be performed clinically. Moreover, to improve the subjective reading of medical images, the software provides a set of 3D measurement tools based on MRI and 3D anatomical models to assist and improve the analysis of hipmorphological abnormalities. Finally, the software is driven by a medical ontology to support data storage, processing and analysis. Results We performed an in vivo assessment of the software in a clinical study conducted with 30 professional ballet dancers, a population who are at high risk of developing OA. We studied the causes of OA in this selected population. Our results show that extreme motion exposes the morphologically "normal" dancer's hip to recurrent superior or posterosuperior FAI and to joint subluxation. Conclusion Our new hip software includes all the required materials and knowledge (images data, 3D models, motion, morphological measurements, etc.) to improve orthopedists' performances in hip joint OA analysis.