Detection of spine vertebrae in image data

Abstract

Vertebrae of the spine in volumetric image are detected using multi-stage detection with trained artificial intelligence. In one embodiment, a trained neural network (116) is employed in a first stage to detect individual vertebra in sagittal images. Two-dimensional bounding boxes around the detected vertebrae are combined to generate a three-dimensional model of the spine. A panoramic image of the spine is generated based on the three-dimensional model to create a straightened view of the spine. The trained neural network is employed in a second stage to detect individual vertebra in the panoramic image. Two-dimensional bounding boxes around the detected vertebrae in the panoramic image are translated to three-dimensional space to create three-dimensional image data with three-dimensional bounding boxes.

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