Abstract

Bone–implant integration is measured in several ways. Traditionally and routinely, 2D histological sections of samples, containing bone and the biomaterial, are stained and analyzed using a light microscope. Such histological section provides detailed cellular information about the bone regeneration in the proximity of the implant. However, this information reflects the integration in only a very small fraction, a 10μm thick slice, of the sample. In this study, we show that feature values quantified on 2D sections are highly dependent on the orientation and the placement of the section, suggesting that a 3D analysis of the whole sample is of importance for a more complete judgment of the bone structure in the proximity of the implant. We propose features describing the 3D data by extending the features traditionally used for 2D-analysis. We present a method for extracting these features from 3D image data and we measure them on five 3D SRμCT image volumes.

We also simulate cuts through the image volume positioned at all possible section positions. These simulations show that the measurement variations due to the orientation of the section around the center line of the implant are about 30%. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Image analysis; 3D image volume; Bone remodeling; SR mu CT; Feature estimation; Osseointegration

Published in

Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
2011, volume: 102, number: 1, pages: 25-34
Publisher: ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Authors' information