A fully automated trabecular bone structural analysis tool based on T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

One major source affecting the precision of bone structure analysis in quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) is inter- and intraoperator variability, inherent in delineating and tracing regions of interest along longitudinal studies. In this paper an automated analysis tool, featuring bone marrow segmentation, region of interest generation, and characterization of cancellous bone of articular joints is presented. In evaluation studies conducted at the knee joint the novel analysis tool significantly decreased the standard error of measurement and improved the sensitivity in detecting minor structural changes. It further eliminated the need of time-consuming user interaction, and thereby increasing reproducibility.