US 12,307,671 B2
Objective assessment of joint damage
Timothy McAlindon, Arlington, MA (US); Jeffrey B. Driban, Arlington, MA (US); Lori Lyn Price, Winchester, MA (US); Michael Lavalley, Arlington, MA (US); and Ming Zhang, Westford, MA (US)
Assigned to Tufts Medical Center, Inc., Boston, MA (US); and Trustees of Boston University, Boston, MA (US)
Appl. No. 17/609,226
Filed by Tufts Medical Center, Inc., Boston, MA (US); and Trustees of Boston University, Boston, MA (US)
PCT Filed May 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/031763
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 5, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/227463, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 12, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/844,418, filed on May 7, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0202356 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 7/00 (2017.01)
CPC G06T 7/0016 (2013.01) [G06T 2207/20076 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30004 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30096 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method that is tied to a particular machine and that is also integrated into a practical application that requires use of said particular machine to carry out, the practical application being that of assessing cartilage damage in a joint, the particular machine being a joint evaluator that comprises a magnetic-resonance imaging machine having a magnet, an RF coil, and gradient coils, wherein said method comprises using said particular machine to carry out said practical application by carrying out the steps of:
using said magnetic-resonance imaging machine, exposing a joint to a magnetic field from said magnet and exciting said gradient coils and said RF coil so as to cause acquisition of a first set of images, each of which corresponds to a location of cartilage within a synovial joint;
using said first set of images, determining a cartilage-damage index for each of said locations;
determining a cumulative-damage score based on said cartilage-damage index for each of said locations;
using said magnetic-resonance imaging machine, exposing said joint to said magnetic field from said magnet and exciting said gradient coils and said RF coil so as to cause acquisition of a second set of images, said images in said second set being images of volumes having bone-marrow lesions and images of volumes affected by effusion from synovitis volumes within said synovial joint;
using said second set of images, determining a disease-activity score, said disease-activity score being indicative of activity of a disease of said joint;
using said joint evaluator, determining a composite score based on said cumulative damage score and said disease-activity score, and
using said composite score as a biomarker that indicates progression of said disease of said joint,
whereby said composite score thus determined is used for predicting disease progression to enrich a clinical trial or for recognizing and quantifying features that are indicative of severity of joint damage.