Online tool for evaluating fractures from radiographic images

The weblinks below will bring you to a tool developed by Ms. Christina Rufener as part of her ongoing doctoral thesis work within the Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ) at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Details on the training tool, the scoring system and the methods can be found in the following article, which is open access and can be found at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00124/full.

 

Rufener C, Baur S, Stratmann A and Toscano MJ (2018) A Reliable Method to Assess Keel Bone Fractures in Laying Hens From Radiographs Using a Tagged Visual Analogue Scale. Front. Vet. Sci. 5:124. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00124

 

The tool is intended to provide an objective and reliable assessment of keel fractures from radiographic images that will ideally increase validity across different individuals and groups performing assessments.  Based on a validation effort using 14 participants with varied backgrounds at multiple institutions, Ms. Rufener found an Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.985 with a confidence interval of 0.974 < ICC < 0.993 (average-rating, absolute-agreement, two-way random-effects model; F23, 154 = 85.7, p < 0.0001). The Intraclass correlation coefficient for intra-observer reliability was 0.923 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.879 < ICC < 0.951 (single-rating, absolute-agreement, two-way mixed-effects model; F69, 70 = 24.8, p < 0.0001).

Explanatory information regarding the background and how to use the tools are provided on the linked sites: