Evaluation of a multibody kinematics optimization method for three-dimensional canine pelvic limb gait analysis

Cheng-Chung Lin,Tung-Wu Lu,Ching-Ho Wu,Po-Yen Chou,Wei-Ru Hsu,Shi-Nuan Wang

doi:10.1186/s12917-020-02323-5

Abstract

BackgroundSkin marker-based three-dimensional kinematic gait analysis were commonly used to assess the functional performance and movement biomechanics of the pelvic limb in dogs. Unfortunately, soft tissue artefact would compromise the accuracy of the reproduced pelvic limb kinematics. Multibody kinematics optimization framework was often employed to compensate the soft tissue artefact for a more accurate description of human joint kinematics, but its performance on the determination of canine pelvic limb skeletal kinematics has never been evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate a multibody kinematics optimization framework used for the determination of canine pelvic limb kinematics during gait by comparing its results to those obtained using computed tomography model-based fluoroscopy analysis.ResultsEight clinically normal dogs were enrolled in the study. Fluoroscopy videos of the stifle joint and skin marker trajectories were acquired when the dogs walked on a treadmill. The pelvic limb kinematics were reconstructed through marker-based multibody kinematics optimization and single-body optimization. The reference kinematics data were derived via a model-based fluoroscopy analysis. The use of multibody kinematics optimization yielded a significantly more accurate estimation of flexion/extension of the hip and stifle joints than the use of single-body optimization. The accuracy of the joint model parameters and the weightings to individual markers both influenced the soft tissue artefact compensation capability.ConclusionsMultibody kinematics optimization designated for soft tissue artefact compensation was established and evaluated for its performance on canine gait analysis, which provided a further step in more accurately describing sagittal plane kinematics of the hip and stifle joints.

Highlights

Skin marker-based three-dimensional kinematic gait analysis were commonly used to assess the functional performance and movement biomechanics of the pelvic limb in dogs
Similar results were found in the root mean square difference (RMSD), an index used to account for the overall differences between the Multibody kinematics optimization (MKO)-determined kinematic waveforms and the reference waveforms
Overall, while MKO with kinematics constraint on joint centres could not provide an accuracy comparable to the model-based fluoroscopic analysis as indicated by the bias, confidence interval (CI) and RMSD (Table 1 and Fig. 2), the > 0.9 determination coefficients observed with flexion/extension and adduction/abduction of the hip and with flexion/extension of the stifle joint support the usefulness of MKO

Summary

Introduction

Skin marker-based three-dimensional kinematic gait analysis were commonly used to assess the functional performance and movement biomechanics of the pelvic limb in dogs. Multibody kinematics optimization framework was often employed to compensate the soft tissue artefact for a more accurate description of human joint kinematics, but its performance on the determination of canine pelvic limb skeletal kinematics has never been evaluated. SO cannot correct the STA error composited by rigid movement components [19], and residual errors in stifle angle estimation have been observed in dogs [15, 20] While other strategies, such as traditional filtering, dynamic calibration and point cluster techniques, have been reported in human motion analysis to compensate for the STA [21], they either were not able to accurately estimate 3-D knee kinematics or may not be feasible for dogs

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion