Change in trabecular architecture as measured by fractal dimension

Joel L. Berry; Richard L. Webber; Chris Jerome; Thomas L. Pope Jr.; Mark Zimmerman; Jeffrey D. Towers M.D.

doi:10.1117/12.174418

1 May 1994 Change in trabecular architecture as measured by fractal dimension

Joel L. Berry, Richard L. Webber, Chris Jerome, Thomas L. Pope Jr., Mark Zimmerman, Jeffrey D. Towers M.D.

Proceedings Volume 2168, Medical Imaging 1994: Physiology and Function from Multidimensional Images; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.174418
Event: Medical Imaging 1994, 1994, Newport Beach, CA, United States

Abstract

Detection of subtle structural changes in trabecular bone is important in evaluating the load- bearing capability of whole bones. Microstructural changes in trabecular bone due to remodeling or resorption lead to changes in bone strength. Recently, fractal-based analyses of radiographs have demonstrated that a fractal model can describe trabecular bone patterns independent of mass density. In this case, the descriptor of choice is a scale-invariant measure of trabecular detail known as fractal dimension. The objective of this work was to compare two measures of the distribution of trabecular bone -- fractal dimension and mean gray level -- in a decalcifying environment. The fractal-based analysis relied upon the spatial distribution of trabecular material while the mean gray level measurements depended upon the average x- radiation attenuation over a region of interest. Data were produced from four separate slices of vertebral bone which demonstrated that a change in the spatial distribution of trabecular material may be expressed in terms of a concurrently changing estimate of the fractal dimension within a region of interest. This change was not necessarily reflected in the mean gray level estimate of mass density.

Citation Download Citation

Joel L. Berry, Richard L. Webber, Chris Jerome, Thomas L. Pope Jr., Mark Zimmerman, and Jeffrey D. Towers M.D. "Change in trabecular architecture as measured by fractal dimension", Proc. SPIE 2168, Medical Imaging 1994: Physiology and Function from Multidimensional Images, (1 May 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.174418

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