Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39753930›Full record

ArticleSurgical endoscopy2025

Deep learning-based pelvimetry in pelvic MRI volumes for pre-operative difficulty assessment of total mesorectal excision.

Simon C Baltus, Ritch T J Geitenbeek, Maike Frieben, Elina Thibeau-Sutre, Jelmer M Wolterink, Can O Tan, Matthijs C Vermeulen, Esther C J Consten, Ivo A M J Broeders

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Surgical endoscopy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Simon C BaltusSurgery Department, Meander Medical Centre, Maatweg, Amersfoort, 3818 TZ, Utrecht, The Netherlands. sc.baltus@meandermc.nl.ORCID 0009-0004-5074-7548
Ritch T J GeitenbeekSurgery Department, Meander Medical Centre, Maatweg, Amersfoort, 3818 TZ, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Maike FriebenSurgery Department, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein, Groningen, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Elina Thibeau-SutreDepartment of Applied Mathematics, Technical Medicine Center, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan, Enschede, 5722 NB, Overijssel, The Netherlands.
Jelmer M WolterinkDepartment of Applied Mathematics, Technical Medicine Center, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan, Enschede, 5722 NB, Overijssel, The Netherlands.
Can O TanRobotics and Mechatronics, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan, Enschede, 5722 NB, Overijssel, The Netherlands.
Matthijs C VermeulenSurgery Department, Meander Medical Centre, Maatweg, Amersfoort, 3818 TZ, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Esther C J ConstenSurgery Department, Meander Medical Centre, Maatweg, Amersfoort, 3818 TZ, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Ivo A M J BroedersSurgery Department, Meander Medical Centre, Maatweg, Amersfoort, 3818 TZ, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpecific pelvic bone dimensions have been identified as predictors of total mesorectal excision (TME) difficulty and outcomes. However, manual measurement of these dimensions (pelvimetry) is labor intensive and thus, anatomic criteria are not included in the pre-operative difficulty assessment. In this work, we propose an automated workflow for pelvimetry based on pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumes.

methodsWe implement a deep learning-based framework to measure the predictive pelvic dimensions automatically. A 3D U-Net takes a sagittal T2-weighted MRI volume as input and determines five anatomic landmark locations: promontorium, S3-vertebrae, coccyx, dorsal, and cranial part of the os pubis. The landmarks are used to quantify the lengths of the pelvic inlet, outlet, depth, and the angle of the sacrum. For the development of the network, we used MRI volumes from 1707 patients acquired in eight TME centers. The automated landmark localization and pelvic dimensions measurements are assessed by comparison with manual annotation.

resultsA center-stratified fivefold cross-validation showed a mean landmark localization error of 5.6 mm. The inter-observer variation for manual annotation was 3.7 ± 8.4 mm. The automated dimension measurements had a Spearman correlation coefficient ranging between 0.7 and 0.87.

conclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first study to automate pelvimetry in MRI volumes using deep learning. Our framework can measure the pelvic dimensions with high accuracy, enabling the extraction of metrics that facilitate a pre-operative difficulty assessment of the TME.

Indexed as

Deep LearningMagnetic Resonance ImagingPelvic BonesPelvimetryPreoperative CareRectal NeoplasmsAgedAnatomic LandmarksFemaleHumansImaging, Three-DimensionalMaleMiddle AgedRectumMagnetic resonance imagingPelvimetryTotal mesorectal excisionU-Net

Identifiers

PMID39753930
PMCPMC11870868

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.