Vertebral Body Compression Fracture Detection

Abstract

The spinal column is one of the crucial parts of the human anatomy and the essential function of this column is the protection of the spinal cord. Each part of the individual bones to compose the spinal column is called vertebra. Vertebral compression fracture is one of the types of fractures that occur in the spinal column. This fracture type causes loss of bone density alongside with pain and loss of mobility. In recent years, image processing is an effective tool that is widely used in the analysis of medical images. In this study, a novel system is proposed for the detection of vertebral body compression fracture using spine CT images. The sagittal plane is used in these CT images. For the detection of the fracture, the heights of the longest and shortest heights of the vertebral bodies are measured using image processing techniques. The aim of this study is to develop an automated system to help radiology specialists by facilitating the process of vertebral fracture diagnosis. The proposed system detected the fractured vertebrae successfully in all images that are used in this study.