Springbok Analytics

Automatically segments muscle tissue from 3D MRI volumetric data using trained convolutional neural networks (likely U-Net or similar encoder-decoder architecture) to isolate individual muscle groups and surrounding tissues. The system processes raw DICOM MRI scans, applies preprocessing (normalization, resampling to isotropic voxels), and outputs voxel-level segmentation masks identifying muscle boundaries with sub-millimeter precision. This eliminates manual slice-by-slice delineation that radiologists traditionally perform, reducing analysis time from hours to minutes per scan.

Post-processes segmentation masks to extract tissue-level composition metrics by analyzing voxel intensity distributions within muscle regions, distinguishing muscle from intramuscular fat using intensity thresholding or texture analysis. Generates quantitative outputs including muscle volume, fat fraction (percentage of muscle region occupied by fat), and atrophy indices that enable objective tracking of disease progression. Metrics are normalized against age/sex reference populations to provide clinical context (e.g., percentile ranking for sarcopenia risk).

Compares segmentation masks and composition metrics across multiple time points (baseline, 3-month, 6-month, etc.) to detect statistically significant changes in muscle volume, fat infiltration, and atrophy rate. Uses image registration (rigid or deformable) to align scans across time points, enabling voxel-level change maps that visualize where muscle loss is occurring. Calculates annualized change rates and confidence intervals to distinguish true disease progression from measurement noise, supporting clinical decision-making for treatment escalation.

Integrates directly with hospital PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) infrastructure via DICOM query/retrieve protocols, enabling automatic detection of new MRI scans matching specified criteria (e.g., muscle MRI protocols), automatic processing without manual export, and results delivery back to PACS as structured reports and segmentation overlays. Supports HL7/FHIR messaging for EHR integration, allowing results to populate clinical notes and decision support alerts. Handles HIPAA-compliant data routing and audit logging for regulatory compliance.

Provides a web-based or PACS-integrated viewer where radiologists can visualize AI-generated segmentation masks overlaid on original MRI scans, approve results, or manually correct segmentation errors using drawing tools (brush, eraser, polygon). Supports multi-planar viewing (axial, coronal, sagittal) with synchronized cursors and 3D volume rendering for anatomical context. Tracks which radiologist approved which scans and timestamps for audit compliance. Approved segmentations are locked and used for metric calculation; rejected scans are flagged for reprocessing or manual analysis.

Automatically generates structured clinical reports from segmentation and composition metrics, including quantitative measurements (muscle volume, fat fraction, atrophy rate), comparison to reference populations (percentile rankings), and clinical interpretation (e.g., 'severe fat infiltration consistent with muscular dystrophy'). Reports are formatted as DICOM Structured Reports (SR) or PDF documents compatible with EHR systems, with customizable templates for different clinical contexts (neuromuscular disease screening, sarcopenia assessment, clinical trial endpoints). Includes longitudinal summaries comparing current scan to prior baseline.

Extends segmentation capability to identify and segment individual muscle groups (e.g., quadriceps, hamstrings, tibialis anterior in the thigh; gastrocnemius, soleus in the calf; deltoid, rotator cuff in the shoulder) rather than treating muscle as a monolithic tissue. Uses anatomically-aware segmentation models trained on region-specific datasets, enabling per-muscle composition analysis and identification of which muscles are preferentially affected by disease. Supports comparison of affected vs unaffected muscles to assess disease heterogeneity.

Supports batch processing of multiple MRI scans (e.g., 50-100 scans from a research cohort or clinical trial) with automated job queuing, distributed processing across GPU clusters, and progress tracking. Integrates with institutional data pipelines via REST APIs or message queues (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) to enable automated triggering based on upstream events (e.g., 'process all new MRI scans from neuromuscular clinic'). Provides monitoring dashboards showing processing status, error rates, and performance metrics.

Continuously monitors segmentation accuracy on approved radiologist-reviewed scans, tracking metrics like Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and per-muscle accuracy. Detects data drift (e.g., new MRI protocols, scanner models, patient populations) that may degrade model performance by comparing incoming scan characteristics to training data distribution. Alerts administrators when accuracy drops below thresholds or drift is detected, triggering retraining or model updates. Provides dashboards showing model performance trends over time.

Aggregates segmentation and composition metrics across multiple patients to enable cohort-level analysis, including group comparisons (diseased vs healthy controls, different disease subtypes), statistical testing (t-tests, ANOVA), and visualization of group differences. Supports stratification by disease type, severity, age, sex, and treatment status. Generates summary statistics and effect sizes for research publications and clinical trial reports. Handles missing data and unbalanced cohorts using appropriate statistical methods.