Application of Multitask Deep Learning Model in Grading the Severity of Spinal Facet Joint Degeneration

Spinal facet joint osteoarthritis is a disease with high incidence among people over 40 years old. It is a disease characterized by a series of degenerative pathological changes and clinical features of synovium, articular cartilage, subchondral bone, joint space and accessory tissues of spinal facet joints under the action of multiple factors. Some physiological or pathological factors can lead to osteoarthritis of spinal facet joints. Patients with spinal facet osteoarthritis often have different degrees of clinical manifestations such as back pain and dyskinesia, which significantly affect the physical and mental health of patients. The severity of spinal facet osteoarthritis not only has a certain impact on low back pain and changes in low back muscle density, but also affects patient management and treatment plan. At present, different doctors have certain subjectivity in the grading reading of lumbar facet osteoarthritis, and the consistency and repeatability of the results are poor. Moreover, doctors need to read image images and judge the grading is very time-consuming and repetitive work. In recent years, the application of deep learning technology in medical image analysis has been widely concerned by clinicians. Deep learning has great potential benefits in medical imaging diagnosis. It can provide semi-automatic reports under the supervision of radiologists, so as to improve the accuracy, consistency, objectivity and rapidity of disease degree assessment, and further support clinical decision-making on this basis. This project plans to develop an intelligent diagnosis and classification system for degenerative diseases of small joints of the spine with multi task and in-depth learning, and verify its clinical feasibility, aiming to help clinicians improve the accuracy, consistency, objectivity and rapidity of the corresponding disease degree evaluation, and further support the follow-up clinical decision-making.

Inclusion Criteria:- From 2019 to 2022, data of patients receiving lumbar imaging examination in the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat sen UniversityExclusion Criteria:Lumbar spondylolisthesisPrevious vertebral fractureHave a history of vertebral surgerySevere artifacts at lumbar images