Accuracy and repeatability of sagittal translation of lumbar vertebrae in vitro and in vivo using quantitative fluoroscopy

Abstract

Measuring continuous lumbar spine motion in vivo and in vitro could advance our understanding of instability, for example accurately and reliably measuring translation in the sagittal plane may help in the management of spondylolisthesis. The Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) has developed a method of measuring in vivo continuous inter-vertebral motion in the spine using fluoroscopy and image processing – a method called OSMIA (objective spinal motion imaging assessment). This method can measure both inter-vertebral rotation and translation; however it is unknown how accurate and repeatable this method is for translation in the sagittal plane. This study has been performed to determine the accuracy in vitro and repeatability in vivo of the measurement of inter-vertebral translation using OSMIA.