Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
individual
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Victoria Melendez
Lead Presenter's Name
Victoria Melendez
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Engineering
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Victor Huayamave
Abstract
Accurate estimation of the hip joint center (HJC) is critical for biomechanical modeling and clinical assessment. Common methods include predictive methods (e.g., regression equations) and functional methods such as sphere-fitting. In infants, femoral head-based methods are often limited due to incomplete ossification of the anatomy and poor visualization in computed tomography (CT) images. This study evaluates an alternative approach using MRI-based sphere fitting of the ossified acetabular rim, comparing its accuracy to traditional femoral head-based methods. MRI scans of three male infants (ages 10.7- 12.7 months) were used to manually place landmarks on the ossified acetabulum and the cartilaginous boundary of femoral head. Best-fit spheres were generated for each set of landmarks using a least-squares algorithm, and Euclidean distances between the resulting sphere centers were calculated to assess error. In healthy hips, the two methods showed strong agreement (mean error: 4.73 +/- 1.27 mm). In one dysplastic case, the error was larger (11.47 mm), likely due to joint incongruity, development stage, and altered morphology. These findings support the feasibility of acetabular-based HJC estimation in healthy infants and suggest its potential applicability in CT- based analyses. Moreover, the limitations observed in dysplastic anatomy underscore the need for further validation in pathological populations.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
MRI-Based Estimation of the Hip Joint Center in Infants Using Two Sphere-Fitting Methods
Accurate estimation of the hip joint center (HJC) is critical for biomechanical modeling and clinical assessment. Common methods include predictive methods (e.g., regression equations) and functional methods such as sphere-fitting. In infants, femoral head-based methods are often limited due to incomplete ossification of the anatomy and poor visualization in computed tomography (CT) images. This study evaluates an alternative approach using MRI-based sphere fitting of the ossified acetabular rim, comparing its accuracy to traditional femoral head-based methods. MRI scans of three male infants (ages 10.7- 12.7 months) were used to manually place landmarks on the ossified acetabulum and the cartilaginous boundary of femoral head. Best-fit spheres were generated for each set of landmarks using a least-squares algorithm, and Euclidean distances between the resulting sphere centers were calculated to assess error. In healthy hips, the two methods showed strong agreement (mean error: 4.73 +/- 1.27 mm). In one dysplastic case, the error was larger (11.47 mm), likely due to joint incongruity, development stage, and altered morphology. These findings support the feasibility of acetabular-based HJC estimation in healthy infants and suggest its potential applicability in CT- based analyses. Moreover, the limitations observed in dysplastic anatomy underscore the need for further validation in pathological populations.