Musculoskeletal ultrasound for 3D bone modeling: A preliminary study applied to lumbar vertebra

BACKGROUND

There is no non-invasive in vivo method to assess intervertebral kinematics. Current kinematics models are based on in vitro bone reconstructions from computed tomography (CT)-scan imaging, fluoroscopy and MRIs, which are either expensive or deleterious for human tissues. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is an accessible, easy to use and cost-effective device that allows high-resolution, real-time imaging of bone structure.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this preliminary study was to compare the concordance of 3D bone modeling of lumbar vertebrae between CT-scan and ultrasound imaging and to study the intra and inter-reliability of distances measured on 3D ultrasound bone models.

METHODS

CT-scan, ultrasound, and in situ data of five lumbar vertebrae from the same human specimen were used. All vertebrae were scanned by tomography and a new musculoskeletal ultrasound procedure. Then, 3D bone modeling was created from both CT-scan and ultrasound image data set. Distances between anatomical bones landmarks were measured on the 3D models and compared to in situ measurements.