Recent Advances in Computational Modeling for Pediatric Spine Deformity Diagnosis and Treatment

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

2:30 PM-4:00 PM

BIOMED Seminar

Title:
Recent Advances in Computational Modeling for Pediatric Spine Deformity Diagnosis and Treatment

Speaker:
Sriram Balasubramanian, PhD
Professor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University

Details:
The diagnosis and assessment of progression of spine and rib cage deformities associated with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) are routinely evaluated using radiographs, and their clinical management strategies range from observation to bracing to surgical intervention, depending on the extent of curve progression. Manual measurements of Cobb angle, kyphosis and other clinical indices from radiographs are time consuming and prone to measurement error. Automated vertebral segmentation and Cobb angle measurements may improve accuracy and expedite clinical assessment.
 
Curve progression in scoliosis is modulated by asymmetric vertebral growth, which is influenced by local stress distribution and skeletal maturity. Therefore, prediction of curve progression can inform decisions of intervention type and timing. Also, Finite element (FE) modeling has been utilized previously to simulate asymmetric growth; however, without incorporating skeletal maturity.
 
In this talk, we will discuss the use of Machine Learning (ML) methods to perform automated clinical assessment for AIS, as well as to predict curve progression in AIS. We will also discuss advances in computational modeling methods to simulate and validate curve progression in AIS subjects using patient-specific (PS) FE (PS-FE) models of stress-modulated spine growth incorporating skeletal maturity. The use of such advanced PS-FE models to simulate the performance of novel growth modulating deformity correction devices will also be presented.

Biosketch:
Sriram Balasubramanian, PhD ('Dr. Sri'), is a professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems and Director of the Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory at Drexel University. Dr. Sri’s primary training and expertise lie in biomechanical testing to investigate injury tolerance of orthopedic tissue. After joining Drexel in 2010, Dr. Sri established two additional and complementary areas of expertise: one focused on dynamic testing of pediatric human subjects and other focused on characterizing and modeling pediatric spine deformities. With strong collaborations with top pediatric hospitals and researchers, Dr. Sri’s research findings in these under-studied areas have made tremendous impact on the current practices in pediatric orthopedics and automotive child safety, and also provide the data and methods needed to guide future innovations.
 
Dr. Sri also helped characterize the biomechanical response of neural tissue, with recent efforts focused on studying the effects of traumatic mechanical loading on neonatal brachial plexus and spinal cord. He has taken the approach to apply his expertise in experimental biomechanics to study injury mechanisms and provide translational data needed to develop computational tools that can be used for pediatric injury prevention. Dr. Sri also mentors several graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in his lab. He received the ‘Outstanding STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Mentor Faculty Award’ for 2010 – 2011.

Contact Information

Carolyn Riley
cr63@drexel.edu