Artificial intelligence and computer vision in low back pain: A systematic review

Chronic Low Back Pain (LBP) is a symptom that may be caused by several diseases, and it is currently the leading cause of disability worldwide. The increased amount of digital images in orthopaedics has led to the development of methods related to artificial intelligence, and to computer vision in particular, which aim to improve diagnosis and treatment of LBP. In this manuscript, we have systematically reviewed the available literature on the use of computer vision in the diagnosis and treatment of LBP. A systematic research of PubMed electronic database was performed. The search strategy was set as the combinations of the following keywords: “Artificial Intelligence”, “Feature Extraction”, “Segmentation”, “Computer Vision”, “Machine Learning”, “Deep Learning”, “Neural Network”, “Low Back Pain”, “Lumbar”. Results: The search returned a total of 558 articles. After careful evaluation of the abstracts, 358 were excluded, whereas 124 papers were excluded after full-text examination, taking the number of eligible articles to 76. The main applications of computer vision in LBP include feature extraction and segmentation, which are usually followed by further tasks. Most recent methods use deep learning models rather than digital image processing techniques. The best performing methods for segmentation of vertebrae, intervertebral discs, spinal canal and lumbar muscles achieve Sørensen–Dice scores greater than 90%, whereas studies focusing on localization and identification of structures collectively showed an accuracy greater than 80%. Future advances in artificial intelligence are expected to increase systems’ autonomy and reliability, thus providing even more effective tools for the diagnosis and treatment of LBP.