title: Specially adapted interactive tools for an improved 3D-segmentation of the spine.
abstract: For imaging purposes of the spine, segmented image data provides the basis for a variety of modern clinical applications. However, the anatomical complex structure of the spine as well as the extensive degenerative bony deformations apparent in the clinical situation, generally complicate the application of a fully automated segmentation. To serve the special needs for image segmentation of the spine anatomy a newly developed software system is presented, that implements specially adapted interactive tools, taking its 'axis'-skeletal structure into account. A standardized protocol combines the newly developed interactive tools (rotation transformation, warped dissection plane) with standard segmentation tools to provide both a fast and accurate segmentation procedure. The introduced software environment has been valuable for the segmentation of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spines segments based on clinical routine and research images.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School Hannover, Carl-Neuberg Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. kaminsky.jan@mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaminsky
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klinge
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rodt
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bokemeyer
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luedemann
authors.forename: Madjid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samii
mesh_terms: D003201:Computers; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D012984:Software; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014584:User-Computer Interface