Combination of a model-deformation method and a positional MRI to quantify the effects of posture on the anatomical structures of the trunk

Understanding the postural effects on organs and skeleton could be crucial for several applications. This paper reports on a methodology to quantify the three-dimensional effects of postures on deformable anatomical structures. A positional MRI scanner was used to image the full trunk in four postures: supine, standing, seated and forward-flexed. The MRI stacks were processed with a custom toolbox, implemented using open source software. The semi-automated segmentation was based on the deformation of generic models of the pelvis, sternum, femoral heads, spine, liver, kidneys, spleen, skin, thoracic and abdominal cavities. The toolbox was designed to be easily extended by additional image filters, deformation schemes, or new generic models. Results obtained on one subject demonstrate that the method can be used to quantify the effects of postures on skeleton and organs. The spinal curvature, the pelvic parameters and the volume of the thoracic cavity were affected by the four postures. The volumes of the kidneys, spleen, liver and abdominal object were mostly unaffected. The movement of organs was coherent with the effect of gravity. The deformation of organs between postures was expressed using geometrical transformations. Investigations should be pursued on a larger population to confirm the patterns observed on the first subject.