{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T21:19:18Z","timestamp":1792790358114,"version":"4.5.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"group-title":"Bioengineering","reference-count":46,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development","award":["R01HD105173"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01HD105173"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04byxyr05","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    To evaluate quantitative gait analysis in a sheep model (\n                    <jats:italic>Ovis aries<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) of in-utero spina bifida repair.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Using a 3D marker-based motion capture system, we quantified spatiotemporal gait parameters and hindlimb joint angles in a sheep model of in-utero spina bifida repair and normal controls. A linear support vector machine classifier, trained and tested on subject-disjoint partitions with individual gait cycles as the unit of analysis, evaluated the relationship between hindlimb joint angles and clinician-assigned Texas Spinal Cord Injury Scale scores. Linear mixed-effects models compared spatiotemporal parameters, hoof height, and hip drop across 3- to 6-month evaluations and between groups.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>In treated (n=14) and control (n=3) lambs, front- and hindlimb gait speed differed by timepoint (both p=0.025). Across 1,632 left and 1,661 right hindlimb gait cycles, held-out classification accuracy was 85.9% and 88.6% (Cohen\u2019s \u03ba=0.78 and 0.84) for left and right hindlimbs, respectively, against majority-class proportions of 76.5% and 75%. Left hindlimb hip drop differed between treated lambs and controls (\u0394=0.8 cm, p=0.027). Between-group contrasts were considered exploratory given the small control group.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Quantitative gait analysis was feasible in an in-utero spina bifida repair model. Hindlimb kinematic profiles classified clinical ambulation scores above the majority-class baseline.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>What\u2019s already known about this topic?<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:list list-type=\"bullet\">\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>Independent walking is a major benefit of in-utero spina bifida repair surgery and a driver of treatment innovation.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>Ambulation after in-utero repair is typically assessed using subjective clinical assessments, which limits the ability to evaluate the effect of treatment.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>Instrumented gait analysis enables precise evaluation of ambulatory function in three-dimensional movements but has not yet been implemented in models of in-utero spina bifida repair.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                  <\/jats:list>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>What does this study add?<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:list list-type=\"bullet\">\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>We objectively quantified spatiotemporal gait parameters and hindlimb kinematic profiles over serial assessments in an established sheep model of in-utero spina bifida repair using a three-dimensional motion capture system.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>Hindlimb kinematic profiles classified clinician-assigned Texas Spinal Cord Injury Scale scores with 85.9%\u201388.6% accuracy, above the 75%\u201376.5% majority-class baseline. Pastern kinematics contributed most to classification.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>Treated lambs\u2019 gait deviated from controls mainly during swing and mid-stance phases (exploratory).<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                  <\/jats:list>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.09.16.752110","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T16:05:18Z","timestamp":1789747518000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quantitative Gait Analysis in a Sheep Model of In-Utero Spina Bifida Repair"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Tsung-Yeh","family":"Chou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomotion Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 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