Determination of connectivity density in human iliac crest bone biopsies assessed by a computerized method

Bone. 1996 May;18(5):459-65. doi: 10.1016/8756-3282(96)00048-8.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to design a computer program (based on the ConnEulor principle) for direct measurement of 3-D connectivity density in iliac crest bone sections, as used for conventional histomorphometry. We used the physical disector principle and developed an algorithm for nonlinear alignment of the disector pairs. 3-D connectivity was evaluated in transiliac specimens from 30 nonselected autopsy cases of 14 men (age range 20-84 years) and 16 women (age range 20-96 years). In order to visualize the findings from the disector pairs, 3-D reconstruction was performed for two of the iliac crest biopsies. The designed computer program aligns the two sections forming a disector pair and automatically depicts the differences between the images, thereby making correct, direct connectivity density measurements available for conventional bone research.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Algorithms
  • Biopsy
  • Bone Density / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ilium / metabolism
  • Ilium / pathology
  • Ilium / physiology*
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteoporosis / etiology
  • Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / etiology
  • Plastic Embedding
  • Software