A new method of automatic craniometric landmarks definition and soft tissue thickness measurement based on MRI data

Abstract

An automatic method for definition of the craniometric landmarks and soft tissues thickness measurement in these landmarks is proposed. The method uses MRI data and is based on the non-rigid registration of the target image to the template. Three MRI templates for three Body Mass Index ranges were created. Each template has 20 pairs of landmarks on the skull and on the face surface. To validate the proposed method the soft tissue thickness was measured using data from the IXI database. These were 18MRI images obtained in Caucasian adult females, having the BMI in the range 20-25 [kg/m2]. For each landmark the mean value, the standard deviation, the minimum and the maximum values of thickness were estimated. The obtained values are close to those obtained using the ultrasonic method. The method doesn’t introduce errors resulting from contact with the subject nor from operator skills.