Using Immersive Virtual Reality to Classify Pediatric Thoracolumbar Spine Injuries

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to assess the reliability and reproducibility of the AO Spine Thoracolumbar Injury Classification System by using virtual reality (VR). We hypothesized that VR is a highly reliable and reproducible method to classify traumatic spine injuries.

Methods

VR 3D models were created from CT scans of 26 pediatric patients with thoracolumbar spine injuries. Seven orthopedic trainees were educated on the VR platform and AO Spine Thoracolumbar Injury Classification System. Classifications were summarized by primary class and subclass for both rater readings performed two weeks apart with image order randomized. Intra-observer reproducibility was quantified by Fleiss’s kappa (kF) for primary classifications and Krippendorff’s alpha (aK) for subclassifications along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each...