PhD defense Ruurd Kuiper

On Tuesday 18 April 2023, Ruurd Kuiper will defend his thesis: “Computer – Assisted Osteotomy Planning “.

Abstract:

Severely deformed bones can be a cause of reduced functionality of the musculoskeletal system. To correct the deformity, a surgery might be performed, which is called an “osteotomy”. In this procedure, the deformed bone is cut, after which the fragments are reconnected in the correct position. Preoperative planning of osteotomies is a complex procedure that requires multiple manual steps, which are time-consuming and susceptible to inter- and intrapersonal variation. In our research, we have developed, studied, and validated methods with the aim of improving or facilitating this planning. 

The merging of MRI and CT images was investigated, and a method was proposed to improve the registration of CT on MRI scans for images of the knee joint. We developed and validated an automatic and efficient deep learning-based method for delineating six separate bones from CT scans of the lower extremity. We also developed a workflow for automatic osteotomy planning for patients with a unilateral deformity. This was then used to study the impact of bone and/or cartilage segmentations derived from CT and MRI on the outcome of preoperative osteotomy planning of the forearm in adolescent patients. Finally, a method for automatically quantifying the alignment parameters of the lower extremities was developed, which could pave the way for automatic osteotomy planning of the lower extremities.