Use An Automated Pipeline to Quantify Erector Spinae Muscle Asymmetry and Correlate It with Quality of Life in Adult Degenerative Scoliosis

Motivation: To explore the influence of erector spinae muscle asymmetry to adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS) on patients' quality of life. Goal(s): To develop a pipeline for automated quantification of the normalized FCSA difference index (CDI) and left-right fat Infiltration asymmetry ratio (LFIAR) from MRI images for assessment of ADS. Approach: We used nnU-Net for precise anatomical segmentation on T2 images. Then, CDI and LFIAR were calculated and correlated to ADS scales. Results: The automated model adeptly delineated paravertebral muscle groups, which were used to calculate CDI and LFIAR. Noteworthy correlations between CDI, LFIAR, and ADS scales were found among male subjects. Impact: This research streamlines clinical workflows, imparts valuable insights into the severity of ADS, and equips clinicians with crucial data for informed clinical decision-making.