The development of spinal orthosis for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is one of the major projects runs at the Centre for Biomedical Innovation in collaboration with Imperial College London and Sri Lanka School of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Rehabilitation Hospital, Ragama. The project commenced in August 2019 under the funding obtained through the Global Challenge Research Fund - UKRI. It is important to note that the findings of this study were published in a few international journals and peer reviewed conferences.
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a three dimensional deformity of the spine and rib cage. Conservative brace treatments are generally prescribed for patients with Cobb angles between 20-40 degrees. Bracing is an effective non-surgical intervention for the management of AIS. The aim is to control the curve progression by fitting a spinal orthosis around the patient’s torsi and pelvis. The poor design of orthoses prescribed to patients makes compliance rates low, affecting treatment success in the patients with AIS. Hence, this project was initiated with the goal of identifying and overcoming the technical challenges associated with current brace treatment practices in Sri Lanka while developing an affordable, aesthetically feasible and ergonomic spine brace appropriate for tropical weather conditions.
The project was coordinated and supervised by the representatives from University of Moratuwa and Imperial College, London. Dr. Pujitha Silva (Former Director, CeBI) headed the project from the University of Moratuwa side while Dr. Nicholas Newell (Research Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London) and Prof. Alison McGregor (Associate Director, Centre for Blast Injury Studies, Director, UG-Science – Medicine, Imperial College, London) handled the project from Imperial College’s end. Additionally, the major roles of this research project were played by Dr. Inigo San-Pena (Research Fellow, Imperial College, London) on behalf of Imperial Team and Ms. Shanika Arachchi (Senior Lecturer, University of Kelaniya) on behalf of the Sri Lankan team. The Spine-brace project consisted of multiple researchers from both countries. It was a great opportunity for these researchers to exchange expertise and share their knowledge.
The team has closely analyzed the traditional patient casting and mould rectification processes and identified important strategies to optimize the mould rectification process in a computer aided design platform using a 3D geometry scan of a patient’s torso. The effectiveness of the traditional brace was analyzed using pressure mapping and gait study. The optimized brace rectification process was implemented into additively manufactured braces. The effectiveness of these 3D printed braces is going to be compared with the traditional brace treatments. Building on the successes of their ventures, the researchers are currently attempting to model the 3-D anatomy of the spine using 2-D X-ray data in order to develop patient-specific brace models. If successful, this will significantly improve the outcome of the scoliosis brace treatments in Sri Lanka while enhancing the patient comfortability.
The notable publications of this project are as follows;
- Sanz-Pena, I.; Arachchi, S.; Halwala-Vithanage, D.; Mallikarachchi, S.; Kirumbara-Liyanage, J.; McGregor, A.; Silva, P.; Newell, N. Characterising the Mould Rectification Process for Designing Scoliosis Braces: Towards Automated Digital Design of 3D-Printed Braces. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 4665. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104665
- Sanz-Pena, I.; Arachchi, S.; Curtis-Woodcock, N, Silva, P McGregor, A., Newell, N. Obtaining patient torso geometry for the design of scoliosis braces. A study of the accuracy and repeatability of handheld 3D scanners. Prosthetics and Orthotics international https://journals.sagepub.com/home/poi (Accepted for publication)[S1]
- Sanz-Pena, I.; Arachchi, S.; Halwala-Vithanage, D.; Mallikarachchi, S.; Kirumbara-Liyanage, J.; McGregor, A.; Silva, P.; Newell, N. Analysis of the scoliosis brace design process using 3D imaging and point cloud processing software. 26th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics, July 11-14, 2021, Milan, Italy
- Sanz-Pena, I.; Arachchi, S.; Halwala-Vithanage, D.; Mallikarachchi, S.; Kirumbara-Liyanage, J.; McGregor, A.; Silva, P.; Newell, N. Rectification Parameters for the Digital Design of Scoliosis Braces. BritSpine March 2021 10.13140/RG.2.2.15997.49129