An Open-Source Android Application to Measure Anterior–Posterior Knee Translation

Gil Serrancolí,Guillem Tanyà Palacios,Simone Perelli,Peter Bogatikov,Jordi Torner,Joan Carles Monllau

doi:10.3390/app10175896

Abstract

There are widely used standard clinical tests to estimate the instability of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knee by assessing the translation of the tibia with respect to the femur. However, the assessment of those tests could be quite subjective. The goal of this study is to present a universally affordable open-source Android application that is easy and quick. Moreover, it provides the possibility for a quantitative and objective analysis of that instability. The anterior–posterior knee translation of seven subjects was assessed using the open-source Android application developed. A single Android smartphone and the placement of three green skin adhesives are all that is required to use it. The application was developed using the image-processing features of the open-source OpenCV Library. An open-source Android application was developed to measure anterior–posterior (AP) translation in ACL-deficient subjects. The application identified differences in the AP translation between the ipsilateral and the contralateral legs of seven ACL-deficient subjects during Lachman and Pivot–Shift tests. Three out of seven subjects were under anesthesia. Those three were also the ones with significant differences. The application detected differences in the AP translation between the ipsilateral and contralateral legs of subjects with ACL deficiency. The use of the application represents an easy, low-cost, reliable and quick way to assess knee instability quantitatively.

Highlights

Injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee lead to negative consequences for joint stability during sport and daily life [1]
Lachman and Pivot–Shift tests were performed on both legs of seven subjects with one ACL-deficient knee while they were being recorded by a regular smartphone camera
Was higher in the injured than inleg the than contralateral contralateral leg subjects for all seven (S1 to S7). itInterestingly, it was significantly higher for five leg for all seven

Summary

Introduction

Injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee lead to negative consequences for joint stability during sport and daily life [1]. There are studies which report that, in both the USA and Europe, around 30 people out of 100,000 inhabitants suffer this injury [2,3]. The standard clinical evaluation of an ACL deficient knee comprises specific tests such as the Pivot–Shift or Lachman tests [4]. They express instability only with a qualitative evaluation that is influenced by the technique employed by the surgeon and their expertise in grading the degree of instability [5].

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion