Accuracy assessment of 3D bone reconstructions using CT: an intro comparison

• 3D bone models of 8 cadaveric elbow joints were created using CT.
• 3D cartilage models of 8 cadaveric elbow joints were created using CT.
• An optically tracked stylus recorded digitizations of the bone/cartilage surface.
• The mean error of the 3D bone model was less than 0.4 mm.
• The mean error of the 3D cartilage model was less than 0.3 mm.

Computed tomography provides high contrast imaging of the joint anatomy and is used routinely to reconstruct 3D models of the osseous and cartilage geometry (CT arthrography) for use in the design of orthopedic implants, for computer assisted surgeries and computational dynamic and structural analysis. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of bone and cartilage surface model reconstructions by comparing reconstructed geometries with bone digitizations obtained using an optical tracking system. Bone surface digitizations obtained in this study determined the ground truth measure for the underlying geometry. We evaluated the use of a commercially available reconstruction technique using clinical CT scanning protocols using the elbow joint as an example of a surface with complex geometry. To assess the accuracies of the reconstructed models (8 fresh frozen cadaveric specimens) against the ground truth bony digitization—as defined by this study—proximity mapping was used to calculate residual error. The overall mean error was less than 0.4 mm in the cortical region and 0.3 mm in the subchondral region of the bone. Similarly creating 3D cartilage surface models from CT scans using air contrast had a mean error of less than 0.3 mm. Results from this study indicate that clinical CT scanning protocols and commonly used and commercially available reconstruction algorithms can create models which accurately represent the true geometry.