Spine Deformity Patients With Optoelectronic Motion Capture

Summary

Aging-induced changes in the spine can lead to adult spinal deformity, causing a forward and/or lateral shift of the trunk. While mild cases may have compensatory mechanisms, severe deformities necessitate treatment. Surgery with instrumentation effectively corrects deformities, but complications are common. Precise pre-operative planning based on X-rays is essential. However, radiological imaging has limitations, including ionizing radiation exposure and static nature. Marker-based optoelectronic motion analysis systems offer potential benefits for dynamic spine assessment.

This study aims to test the feasibility of using motion analysis systems to characterize spinal alignment and balance in patients with adult spine deformity. The primary objective is to assess the practical implementation, measurement capability, and resources required for motion analysis. Secondary objectives include investigating errors in absolute spinal curvature assessment and developing compensation strategies.

The project will recruit 20 patients (non-operated and operated) seeking medical attention for adult spine deformities and 10 healthy controls. Participants will undergo biplanar imaging and motion analysis to capture static and dynamic spine alignment during common activities. The data will help build patient-specific musculoskeletal models, offering potential insights into improving surgical planning for adult spine deformities.

Conditions

• Spine Deformity

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

EOS x-ray

After marking the anatomical landmarks where later on skin markers will be placed, radiopaque markers are attached for the radiographic examination with the EOS system. Images are taken from the positions standing and sitting

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Motion capture

The used marker set is the IfB marker set (List et al. 2013), consisting of 40 skin markers on the lower extremities, 7 on the pelvis, 24 on the trunk and 6 on the upper extremities. For the later musculoskeletal modelling the IfB marker set is extended with 7 additional markers on the spinal thoracic processes. All markers will be placed by skilled operators. The test procedure consists of six trials, namely a standing trial in an anatomic upright position and a calibration motion as well as four basic motion tasks to define functional estimated joint axis, respectively centers (each performed twice). Tasks: standing, maximal flexion-extension, lateral bending, axial rotation, lifting, holding load, walking, step up, sitting and sit-to-stand

Sponsors & Collaborators

• ETH Zurich

  collaborator OTHER

• Bern University of Applied Sciences

  collaborator OTHER

• Schulthess Klinik

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SCREENING

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-05-01

Primary Completion

2026-04-30

Completion

2026-12-30

Countries

• Switzerland

Study Locations