Hip joint analysis and modelling tools

PI: Irina Voiculescu

Department: Computer Science

With an ageing population, arthritis is an urgent research topic. This proposal is about the clinical application and adoption of OxMedIS, the Oxford Medical Image Segmentation software tool developed in the Department of Computer Science. (Segmentation tools identify organs or bones in CT or MRI scans.) Although surgeons now routinely have access to wonderfully detailed MRI scans, a surprising amount of measurement still has to be done manually to identify and pinpoint the early stages of arthritis. That requires months of training on the job and it is so time-consuming that manual measurements are rarely used in clinic, surgeons relying instead on training and experience.

This process could, however, be speeded up by the OxMedIS tool. Our tool, crucially, takes new measurements which are not currently available in clinic. This gives a fuller picture of the state of the anatomical features around the joint. The software provides accurate semi-automated measures which allow clinicians to make precise treatment plans for patients. The proposal is to shadow an experienced orthopaedic surgeon in a weekly clinic for a year, in order to establish specific user requirements for OxMedIS to be adopted into routine practice in orthopaedics. At the same time, these requirements will also be implemented and tested on patient data in such a way as to enable evidence-based decision support in clinic.