Spino-pelvic radiological parameters: Comparison of measurements obtained by radiologists using the traditional method versus spine surgeons using a semi-automated software (Surgimap)

BackgroundSpinopelvic balance measurement is a key point to get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment in a group of spine pathologies; thus, it seems necessary the evaluation of different methods for obtaining the most reliable values. For that reason, different automatic and semi-automatic computer-assisted tools have been developed, and one example of them is Surgimap.PurposeTo demonstrate that the sagittal balance measurements with Surgimap are equal and more time-efficient than with Agfa-Enterprise.Material and MethodsRetrospective-prospective study. Biased comparative analysis of radiographic measurements performed on two different occasions (96 h interval), between two spine surgeons using Surgimap and two radiologists using the traditional Cobb method (TCM) with the Agfa-Enterprise program in 36 full spine lateral X-ray, determining inter- and intra-observer reliability and the mean time required to obtain the measurements.ResultsMeasurements with both methods demonstrated an excellent intra-observer correlation (Surgimap: PCC 0.95 [0.85?0.99]; TCM: PCC 0.90 [0.81?0.99]). Inter-observer correlation also demonstrated an excellent relationship (PCC >0.95). Thoracic kyphosis (TK) demonstrated the lowest levels of inter-observer correlation (PCC: 0.75). The average time in seconds with TCM was 154.6, while with the Surgimap it was 41.8 s.ConclusionSurgimap proved to be equally reliable and 3.5 times faster. Therefore, in consistency with the available literature, our results would allow us to promote the use of Surgimap as a clinical diagnostic tool considering precision and efficiency.