Automatic detection of early osteonecrosis of the femoral head from various hip pathologies using deep convolutional neural network: a multi-centre study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) for detecting early osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) from various hip pathologies and evaluate the feasibility of its application.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed and annotated hip magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of ONFH patients from four participated institutions and constructed a multi-centre dataset to develop the DCNN system. The diagnostic performance of the DCNN in the internal and external test datasets was calculated, including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, and gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) technique was used to visualize its decision-making process. In addition, a human-machine comparison trial was performed.

Results: Overall, 11,730 hip MRI segments from 794 participants were used to develop and optimize the DCNN system. The AUROC, accuracy, and precision of the DCNN in internal test dataset were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.93-1.00), 96.6% (95% CI: 93.0-100%), and 97.6% (95% CI: 94.6-100%), and in external test dataset, they were 0.95 (95% CI, 0.91- 0.99), 95.2% (95% CI, 91.1-99.4%), and 95.7% (95% CI, 91.7-99.7%). Compared with attending orthopaedic surgeons, the DCNN showed superior diagnostic performance. The Grad-CAM demonstrated that the DCNN placed focus on the necrotic region.

Conclusion: Compared with clinician-led diagnoses, the developed DCNN system is more accurate in diagnosing early ONFH, avoiding empirical dependence and inter-reader variability. Our findings support the integration of deep learning systems into real clinical settings to assist orthopaedic surgeons in diagnosing early ONFH.

Keywords: Deep learning; Early diagnosis; MRI; Osteonecrosis of the femoral head.