Optimal path finding based spinal center line extraction

Abstract

Method and apparatus for finding an optimal spinal canal path center line are disclosed. Imaging scans such as a Computer Tomography (CT) scan are used to diagnosis rib and spine fractures. The spine image is usually reformatted in a straightened CPR (curved planar reformat). A dynamic programming-based techniques to find an optimal path from a spinal canal segmentation is disclosed. The disclosed method and apparatus overcomes spinal canal segmentation errors resulting in spinal canal gaps and unrealistic image distortions. The disclosed techniques are not sensitive to segmentation errors even is the presence of high segmentation noise. The disclosed techniques generate a binary three-dimensional image corresponding to the scanned spine image, perform density estimation to create a three-dimensional having the same size as the original binary three-dimensional, perform dynamic programming based optimal spinal canal path finding with a coarse to fine optimal path finding strategy to accelerate the optimal spinal canal path finding.