A method for the automatic characterization of bone architecture in 3D mice microtomographic images

• Published in: Computerized medical imaging and graphics Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 447 - 458
• Main Authors: Martı́n-Badosa, E., Elmoutaouakkil, A., Nuzzo, S., Amblard, D., Vico, L., Peyrin, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2003; Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: 3D analysis; Animals; Bioengineering; Biological and medical sciences; Bone and Bones - diagnostic imaging; Bone and Bones - pathology; Bone microarchitecture; Computed microtomography; Computer Science; Femur - diagnostic imaging; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Life Sciences; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microradiography; Osteoporosis; Osteoporosis - diagnostic imaging; Osteoporosis - pathology; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Signal and Image Processing; Small animal imaging; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments. Material. Instrumentation; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Trabecular and cortical bone; Computed microtomography; Osteoporosis; Small animal imaging; Trabecular and cortical bone; 3D analysis; Bone microarchitecture; Mice; Trahecular and cortical bone; Bone microatchitecture; Biomedical engineering
• ISSN: 0895-6111; 1879-0771
• DOI: 10.1016/S0895-6111(03)00031-4

We developed an automatic method to characterize mice bone architecture from three-dimensional (3D) microtomographic images. The distal metaphyses of the femur of mice were imaged using 3D synchrotron radiation microtomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ID19) with a voxel size of 6.65 μm. Within each reconstructed volume, a region of interest was defined and trabecular and cortical bones were automatically separated. Then, 3D morphologic and topologic model-independent parameters quantifying the 3D bone architecture were computed in both regions. The technique was applied to study the response of the C57BL/6J@Ico strain of mice submitted to a model of bone loss by hind limb unloading produced by tail-suspension.