Method and System for Providing Fracture/No Fracture Classification

• US 20080058613A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Imatx, Inc. (Conformis Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Imaging Therapeutics, Inc. (Conformis Incorporated)
• Inventors: Liew, Siau-Way, Lang, Philipp, Steines, Daniel, Vargas-Voracek, Rene, Arnaud, Claude
• Application Number:
  US11/855,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058613A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4504 Bones A61B5/4547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4509 Bone density determination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4514 Cartilage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4533 Ligaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/505 for diagnosis of bone
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30008 Bone
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method of classifying fracture risk for a patient is presented. The method includes determining a fracture index of the patient. Either a fracture classification or a non-fracture classification is assigned to the patient based, at least in part, on the fracture index. A confidence level of the assigned classification is determined.

Claims

1. A method of classifying fracture risk for a patient, the method comprising:

determining a fracture index of the patient;

determining one of a fracture classification and a non-fracture classification of the patient based, at least in part, on the fracture index; and

determining a confidence level of the determined classification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fracture index is based, at least in part, on at least one of bone mineral density, bone micro-structure, bone macro-anatomy, and bone biomechanics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fracture index is based, at least in part, on two or more of bone mineral density, bone micro-structure, bone macro-anatomy and bone biomechanics.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fracture index is based, at least in part, on trabecular bone micro-structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one of a fracture classification and a non-fracture classification includes determining a threshold fracture index value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a confidence level of the determined classification includes determining a probability of making a correct classification given the fracture index of the patient.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the fracture index, the determined classification, and/or the confidence level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report that includes the fracture index, the determined classification, and/or the confidence level.

9. A computer program product for use on a computer system for classifying fracture risk for a patient, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code including:

computer code for determining a fracture index of the patient;

computer code for determining one of a fracture classification and a non-fracture classification of the patient based, at least on the fracture index; and

computer code for determining a confidence level of the determined classification.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer code for determining the fracture index includes determining the fracture index based, at least in part, on at least one of bone mineral density, bone micro-structure, bone macro-anatomy, and bone biomechanics.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the computer code for determining the fracture index includes determining the fracture index based, at least in part, on two or more of bone mineral density, bone micro-structure, bone macro-anatomy and bone biomechanics.

12. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer code for determining the fracture index includes determining the fracture index based, at least in part, on trabecular bone micro-structure.

13. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer code for determining one of the fracture classification and the non-fracture classification includes determining a threshold fracture index value.

14. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer code for determining the confidence level of the determined fracture classification includes determining a probability of making a correct classification given the fracture index of the patient.

15. The computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising computer code for displaying the fracture index, the determined fracture classification, and/or the confidence level.

16. The computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising computer code for generating a report that includes the fracture index, the determined fracture classification, and/or the confidence level.

17. A system for classifying fracture risk for a patient, the system comprising:

a controller, the controller for

determining a fracture index of the patient;

determining one of a fracture classification and a non-fracture classification of the patient based, at least on the fracture index; and

determining a confidence level of the determined fracture classification.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the fracture index is based, at least in part, on at least one of bone mineral density, bone micro-structure, bone macro-anatomy, and bone biomechanics.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the fracture index is based, at least in part, on two or more of bone mineral density, bone micro-structure, bone macro-anatomy and bone biomechanics.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the fracture index is based, at least in part, on trabecular bone micro-structure.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein determining one of a fracture classification and a non-fracture classification includes determining a threshold fracture index value.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein determining a confidence level of the determined fracture classification includes determining a probability of making a correct classification given the fracture index of the patient.

23. The system of claim 17, further comprising a display, wherein the controller controls the display to display the fracture index, the determined fracture classification, and/or the confidence level.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller generates a report that includes the fracture index, the determined fracture classification, and/or the confidence level.