From skin to skeleton: revolutionary contactless and non-ionizing 3d digital diagnosis and monitoring of spinal disorders in adolescents
Scoliosis is a 3D musculoskeletal disorder of the spine that affects the quality of life and physical ability of patients. Almost 80% of all cases comprise of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with an estimated prevalence of 36 million new patients worldwide by 2050. The drawback of current diagnostic methods in AIS assessment is their harmful effect, especially due to the multiple radiographic exposures required for monitoring disease progression. A new generation of optical techniques for estimating curvature of the spine and evaluating deformity-related changes from a 3D digitalized surface of the patient’s back are considered as an alternative to ionizing methods. However, none of these non-ionizing approaches have been applied to calculate the internal parameters of AIS and neglect the 3D complexity of the internal spinal structure. The proposed action aims to test and improve a markerless computer-aided optical solution (ScolioSIM1.0) that can generate a 3D model of the patient-specific scoliotic spine, and to reliably predict internal and external biomechanical characteristics and parameters of AIS without exposing patients to ionizing radiation. This process includes the development of a novel computational algorithm for online monitoring of AIS after treatment and regular follow-ups (ScolioSIM2.0) and its integration into the first multi-modular web-based platform (ScolioMedIS). The fellowship involves an experienced candidate, Dr Saša Ćuković, from UniKg, Serbia to conduct this multidisciplinary and innovative project at ETH Zurich in the group of Prof. Dr William R. Taylor. The action also provides opportunities for two-way knowledge transfer in the field of musculoskeletal modelling, computational biomechanics and new ICT methods thus, presenting a clear target for the fellow to reach professional independence through research and intense training, and for the host to broaden research domains specifically in the field of spinal disorder biomechanics.