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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Quantification of the effect of instrumentation error in obj...
Equine veterinary journal2017; 50(3); 370-376; doi: 10.1111/evj.12766

Quantification of the effect of instrumentation error in objective gait assessment in the horse on hindlimb symmetry parameters.

Abstract: Objective gait analysis is becoming more popular as a tool assisting veterinarians during the clinical lameness exam. At present, there is only limited information on the effect of misplacement of markers/motion-sensors. Objective: To investigate and describe the effect of marker misplacement on commonly calculated pelvic symmetry parameters. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Each horse was equipped with custom-made devices consisting of several reflective markers arranged in a predefined manner with a reference marker correctly positioned regarding the anatomical landmark and several misplaced markers along the sagittal and transverse planes. Linear regression analysis was used to estimate the effect of marker misplacement. Results: For the tubera sacrale, each cm of left/right misplacement led to a difference in minimum position of the pelvis (PDmin) of ±1.67 mm (95% CI 1.54-1.8 mm) (P<0.001); maximum position of the pelvis (PDmax) was affected by ±0.2 mm (95% CI 0.071-0.33 mm) (P = 0.003). With respect to cranial/caudal misplacement, each cm of misplacement resulted in a PDmin difference of ±0.04 mm (95% CI -0.09 to 0.16 mm) (P = 0.56) and a PDmax difference of ±0.008 mm (95% CI -0.13 to 0.12 mm) (P = 0.9). For the tubera coxae, each cm of vertical misplacement led to a difference in the displacement amplitude between left and right tubera coxae (Hip-Hike_Diff) of ±1.56 mm (95% CI 1.35-1.77 mm) (P<0.001); for the cranial/caudal misplacement, this was ±0.82 mm (95% CI 0.66-0.97 mm) (P<0.001). Conclusions: Only three horses were used in this experiment and the study design did not permit to determine the influence of marker misplacement on the evaluation of different degrees of lameness. Conclusions: Marker misplacement significantly affects calculated symmetry parameters of the pelvis. The observed errors are overall small but significant. In cases of mildly asymmetrical horses, this error might influence the decision-making process whereas in more severe asymmetries, the influence of the error effect may become less significant.
© 2017 The Authors Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2017-11-01 PubMed ID: 29032614PubMed Central: PMC5900976DOI: 10.1111/evj.12766Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The study investigates the impact of marker misplacement in objective gait analysis for horses, with focus on commonly calculated pelvic symmetry parameters. A degree of error due to marker misplacement was found to affect symmetry analysis, which could potentially influence decision-making in veterinary examination processes, particularly in marginal cases.

Research Methodology

  • The study uses an experimental method, in which horses are fitted with custom-made devices containing several reflective markers. The markers are arranged in a specific way and a reference marker is accurately positioned in relation to an anatomical landmark.
  • Some markers are deliberately misplaced along the sagittal (vertical plane dividing the body into left and right halves) and transverse (horizontal plane dividing the body into upper and lower halves) planes.
  • Linear regression analysis, a statistical method used to understand the relationship between two variables, is employed to estimate the impact of marker misplacement.

Research Findings

  • The researchers found that for certain pelvic landmarks, every centimeter of marker misplacement results in a certain degree of difference in symmetry parameters such as the minimum and maximum positions of the pelvis (PDmin and PDmax respectively), and the displacement amplitude between left and right pelvic tubera coxae (Hip-Hike_Diff).
  • Severity of the difference varies according to the direction and the nature of marker misplacement. The study presents specific measurements of difference per centimeter of misplacement, calculated for certain pelvic landmarks.

Research Conclusions

  • Although the study was conducted with only three horses and the study design didn’t allow to determine the influence of marker misplacement in evaluating various degrees of lameness, the researchers could conclude that marker misplacement indeed affects calculated symmetry parameters of the pelvis.
  • The observed errors due to misplacement are generally small but significant enough to potentially influence the decision-making process in clinical lameness exam, more so in cases of mild asymmetries.
  • However, in cases of severe asymmetries, the impact of the error effect might be less significant.

Cite This Article

APA
Serra Bragança FM, Rhodin M, Wiestner T, Hernlund E, Pfau T, van Weeren PR, Weishaupt MA. (2017). Quantification of the effect of instrumentation error in objective gait assessment in the horse on hindlimb symmetry parameters. Equine Vet J, 50(3), 370-376. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12766

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 50
Issue: 3
Pages: 370-376

Researcher Affiliations

Serra Bragança, F M
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Rhodin, M
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Wiestner, T
  • Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Hernlund, E
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Pfau, T
  • Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK.
van Weeren, P R
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Weishaupt, M A
  • Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Gait
  • Hindlimb / physiology
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horses / physiology
  • Lameness, Animal / diagnosis
  • Pelvis

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Citations

This article has been cited 10 times.
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