IB Lab SQUIRREL™
Assessment of Scoliosis related Indications on the Spine
Problems
To identify and monitor scoliosis, it is crucial to identify relevant parameters on the spine and conduct several measurements, such as the Cobb angle and the coronal balance. However, it is a challenging task for inexperienced observers. Variability in measurements, often caused by incorrect end vertebral definitions and diurnal fluctuations, further complicates the process. The manual method requires expertise, consumes time, and raises costs, placing added strain on the medical workforce. Organizational constraints also impede timely second reads, diminishing the advantages of double reads in clinical practice.
Solutions
IB Lab SQUIRREL™ significantly enhances the reliability and precision of Cobb angle measurements. The software streamlines the assessment, improves efficiency, and indirectly benefits the radiological workflow. Furthermore, it provides additional expert insights without the need for extra resources and reduces intra-rater variability, resulting in more consistent radiological assessments.
Workflow efficiency
saves time and leads to higher inter-reader agreement
Automated read on expert level
IB Lab SQUIRREL™ is interchangeable with an expert read
Repeatable measurements
10°
Up to 10° differences between human readers for Cobb angle measurements
5°
The mean Cobb angle can be 5° higher in the afternoon compared to measurements taken in the morning [5].
100%
IB Lab SQUIRREL™ is 100% repeatable and reproducible on the same image
Product description
IB Lab SQUIRREL is a fully automated, radiological image processing software that aims to support physicians in the assessment of spinal morphology and scoliosis evaluation using frontal radiographs of the spine, particularly for the purpose of scoliosis assessment and disease progression. The algorithm is triggered automatically by a scoliosis study and returns relevant scoliosis parameters like the patient's Cobb angle and the Coronal Balance. All findings are summarized in a visual output report, attached to the original x-ray image and saved automatically in the PACS system.
IB Lab SQUIRREL facilitates objective scoliosis assessment as well as monitoring disease progression.
Findings
AP/PA full spineVertebral detection/ labelingSpinal alignmentCobb angleCoronal balanceCalibration ball supportMetalwork detectionBracing support
Intended use
IB Lab SQUIRREL is a fully-automated radiological image processing software device intended to aid users in the measurement of quantitative spinal alignment parameters on AP/PA full spine radiographs. It should not be used in-lieu of full patient evaluation or solely relied upon to make or confirm a diagnosis.
The intended user of IB Lab SQUIRREL is a healthcare professional trained in radiology.
The usage of IB Lab SQUIRREL is limited to AP/PA full spine radiographs of individuals aged 10 years and above.
References[1] Y. Sun, Y. Xing, Z. Zhao, X. Meng, G. Xu, and Y. Hai, "Comparison of manual versus automated measurement of Cobb angle in idiopathic scoliosis based on a deep learning keypoint detection technology," Eur. Spine J., Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1007/s00586-021-07025-6.[2] A. Safari, H. Parsaei, A. Zamani, and B. Pourabbas, "A Semi-Automatic Algorithm for Estimating Cobb Angle," J. Biomed. Phys. Eng. vol. 9, no. 3Jun, Jun. 2019, doi: 10.31661/jbpe.v9i3Jun.730.[3] L. Wang, Q. Xu, S. Leung, J. Chung, B. Chen, and S. Li, "Accurate automated Cobb angles estimation using multi-view extrapolation net," Med. Image Anal. vol. 58, p. 101542, Dec. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.media.2019.101542.[4] K. Zhang, N. Xu, C. Guo, and J. Wu, "MPF-net: An effective framework for automated cobb angle estimation," Med. Image Anal. vol. 75, p. 102277, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.media.2021.102277.[5] M. Beauchamp, H. Labelle, G. Grimard, C. Stanciu, B. Poitras, and J. Dansereau, "Diurnal variation of Cobb angle measurement in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis," Spine, vol. 18, no. 12, pp. 1581-1583, Sep. 1993, doi: 10.1097/00007632-199309000-00002.