Method of processing a sectional image of a sample bone including a cortical bone portion and a cancellous bone portion

Abstract

A binary image of a bone section is provided to be processed. A region of interest is provided on the binary image to produce a ROI image by extracting pixels corresponding to the bone portion from the binary image within the region of interest, onto which ROI image morphometry is carried out. A series of pixels which are on the center line extending along the cortical bone portion in the ROI image. A hemi-cortical bone image is produced by using the determined center line. The hemi-cortical bone image has a wall thickness substantially half of the real wall thickness of the cortical bone portion. A template image for the cortical bone portion is produced by executing expanding operations on the hemi-cortical bone image a predetermined number of times.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.