Yonago Acta medica 1996;38:147-152

A Computer-Based Method for the Two-Dimensional Analysis of Trabecular Bone Orientation

Masashi Inoue, Noriyuki Fujita*, Akihiko Suyamat†, Terutaka Inoue, Kichizo Yamamoto* and Yoshito lrizawa

Department of Legal Medicine, *Department of Orthopedic Surgery and †Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683, Japan

An examination of the structure of bone offers some useful information in evaluating the quality of bone. In the field of forensic medicine, the observation of bone also provides valuable clues to estimate the age of skeletal remains. Therefore, the architecture of trabecular bone has been the subject of considerable investigation. Although there are a lot of studies on the volume of bone, only a few numerical studies concerned with the quality, namely, the orientation of trabecular bone have been reported. In this study, we have developed a computer program based on the Hough transformation method to detect numerically the distribution of trabecular orientation. Then we have applied our method to analyze the architecture of the trabecular bone using iliac crest biopsies as examples. The specimens were obtained from 7 women with fracture and 5 women without fracture. Anisotropy was found to exist in almost of all specimens. The specimens with marked anisotropic properties were derived only from the fracture group and none of the non-fracture group showed marked anisotropy. The non-fracture group showed less marked anisotropic properties than the fracture group.

Key words: bone histomorphometry; computer image analysis; Hough transformation; trabecular orientation

RETURN