3D reconstruction of a femoral shape using a parametric model and two 2D fluoroscopic images

In medical diagnostic imaging, the X-ray CT scanner and the MRI system have been widely used to examine 3D shapes and internal structures of living organisms and bones. However, these apparatuses are generally large and very expensive. Since an appointment is also required before examination, these systems are not suitable for urgent fracture diagnosis in emergency treatment. However, X-ray/fluoroscopy has been widely used as traditional medical diagnosis. Therefore, the realization of the reconstruction of precise 3D shapes of living organisms or bones from a few conventional 2D fluoroscopic images might be very useful in practice, in terms of cost, labor, and radiation exposure. The present paper proposes a method by which to estimate a patient-specific 3D shape of a femur from only two fluoroscopic images using a parametric femoral model. First, we develop a parametric femoral model by the statistical analysis of 3D femoral shapes created from CT images of 56 patients. Then, the position and shape parameters of the parametric model are estimated from two 2D fluoroscopic images using a distance map constructed by the Level Set Method. Experiments using synthesized images, fluoroscopic images of a phantom femur, and in vivo images for hip prosthesis patients are successfully carried out, and it is verified that the proposed system has practical applications. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.