Katano Hisako, Sasaki Eiji, Nagai Kanto, Hashiguchi Naofumi, Kaneko Haruka, Ishibashi Yasuyuki, Kuroda Ryosuke, Adachi Nobuo, Ishijima Muneaki, Tomita Makoto, Masumoto Jun, Sekiya Ichiro
Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Aomori, Japan.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 7;20(8):e0329610. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329610. eCollection 2025.
A novel AI-based 3D analysis system was developed to automatically extract bone and cartilage from MRI data and provide average cartilage thickness. This study aimed to analyze the interscan measurement error of knee cartilage thickness in osteoarthritis patients.
Fifty knee osteoarthritis patients underwent two scans using MRI systems from five different vendors. Each model included five Kellgren-Lawrence grade (KL) 1-2 and five KL3-4 patients. Cartilage thickness was automatically quantified for seven regions, and interscan measurement error was analyzed.
In the KL1-2 group, measurements with errors ≤0.05 mm, ≤ 0.10 mm, and ≤0.20 mm were 42%, 75%, and 97%, respectively. For the KL3-4 group, these proportions were 31%, 59%, and 90%. The entire cohort (KL1-4) showed errors ≤0.05 mm, ≤ 0.10 mm, and ≤0.20 mm in 37%, 67%, and 93% of measurements. Differences between KL1-2 and KL3-4 groups were significant for all thresholds.
Overall, 93% of interscan measurement errors were within 0.20 mm when using fully automatic MRI 3D analysis software to assess knee cartilage thickness in osteoarthritis patients. This study provides valuable insights into the reliability of automated cartilage thickness measurements across different disease severities and MRI systems.
开发一种基于人工智能的新型三维分析系统，以自动从MRI数据中提取骨骼和软骨，并提供平均软骨厚度。本研究旨在分析骨关节炎患者膝关节软骨厚度的扫描间测量误差。
50例膝关节骨关节炎患者使用来自五个不同供应商的MRI系统进行了两次扫描。每个模型包括5例Kellgren-Lawrence分级（KL）1-2级和5例KL3-4级患者。对七个区域的软骨厚度进行自动定量分析，并分析扫描间测量误差。
在KL1-2组中，误差≤0.05mm、≤0.10mm和≤0.20mm的测量分别为42%、75%和97%。对于KL3-4组，这些比例分别为31%、59%和90%。整个队列（KL1-4）在37%、67%和93%的测量中误差≤0.05mm、≤0.10mm和≤0.20mm。在所有阈值下，KL1-2组和KL3-4组之间的差异均具有统计学意义。
总体而言，在骨关节炎患者中使用全自动MRI三维分析软件评估膝关节软骨厚度时，93%的扫描间测量误差在0.20mm以内。本研究为不同疾病严重程度和MRI系统下自动软骨厚度测量的可靠性提供了有价值的见解。
