3D Morphological Analysis of Human Trabecular Bone Based on Individual Trabeculae Segmentation

It is clear that the microstructural type of trabeculae (plate vs. rod) is critical in determining the strength of trabecular bone while a dramatic change of trabeculae from plate-like to rod-like occurs with aging and osteoporosis. However, the quantitative contribution from the plate-like and rod-like trabeculae to mechanical properties of trabecular bone has not been fully identified. This is due to the lack of explicit classification of trabecular types with existing morphological analysis techniques. A novel morphological analysis technique based on the µCT image was developed.

It is clear that the microstructural type of trabeculae (plate vs. rod) is critical in determining the strength of trabecular bone while a dramatic change of trabeculae from plate-like to rod-like occurs with aging and osteoporosis. However, the quantitative contribution from the plate-like and rod-like trabeculae to mechanical properties of trabecular bone has not been fully identified. This is due to the lack of explicit classification of trabecular types with existing morphological analysis techniques. A novel morphological analysis technique based on the µCT image was developed. This technique has the capacity to segment trabecular bone image into different individual trabeculae by following their topological features. The morphological parameters such as the plate fraction (pBV/BV), rod fraction (rBV/BV), trabecular plate thickness (pTb.Th) , trabeculae rod thickness (rTb.Th), trabecular plate number density (pTb.N), trabecular rod number density (rTb.N), trabecular orientation and junction density can be further determined 

Related Publications

  1. Liu XS, Saha PK, Wehrli FW, Sajda P, Guo XE, A 3D Morphological Analysis based on Individual Trabeculae Segmentation for Human Trabecular Bone, Baltimore, MD, September 28-October 1, 2005
     
  2. Liu XS, Saha PK, Wehrli FW, Sajda P, Guo XE, A 3D Morphological Analysis of Trabecular Bone Based on Individual Trabeculae Segmentation, Chicago, Illinois, March 19-22, 2006