Introduction: Inaccuracies in kinematic data recording due to skin movement artefact are inherent with motion analysis. Image registration techniques have been used extensively to measure joint kinematics more accurately. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using MRI for creating 3D models and to quantify errors in data collection methods by comparing kinematics computed from motion analysis and image registration.

Methodology : 5 healthy and 5 TKR knees were examined for a step up/down task using dynamic fluoroscopy and motion capture. MRI scans of the knee, femur and tibia were performed on the healthy subjects and were subsequently segmented using ScanIP(Simpleware) to produce 3D bone models. Registration of the models produced from fine and coarse scan data was used to produce bony axes for the femoral and tibial models. Tibial and femoral component CAD models were obtained for the TKR patients. The 3D knee solid models and the TKR CAD models were then registered to a series of frames from the 2D fluoroscopic image data (Figure 1) obtained for the 10 subjects, using KneeTrack(S. Banks, Florida) to produce kinematic waveforms. The same subjects were also recorded whilst performing the same action, using a Qualisys (Sweden) motion capture system with a pointer and marker cluster-based technique developed to quantify the knee kinematics.

Results: The motion analysis method measured significantly larger frontal and transverse knee rotations and significantly larger translations than the image registration method.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that MRI, rather than CT scan, can be used as a non-invasive tool for developing segmented 3D bone models, thus avoiding highly invasive CT scanning on healthy volunteers. It describes an application of combining fine and coarse scan models to establish anatomical or mechanical axes within the bones for use with kinematic modeling software. It also demonstrates a method to investigate errors associated with measuring knee kinematics.