Patent ID: 8121371
Filing Date: 2012-02-21
Classification: A61B,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of computing the Ferguson angle in a spine image comprising for a curved segment of said spine image, determining the most inclined vertebrae at the inflection points in the sequence of orientations of successive vertebrae in said segment, for said curved segment, determining the apex vertebra at the peak of the curved segment between said most inclined vertebrae, determining the Ferguson angle as the angle between a first straight line through the center of the apex vertebra and the center of a first of said most inclined vertebrae and a second straight line through the center of the apex vertebra and the center of a second of said most inclined vertebrae, wherein said most inclined vertebrae are determined by evaluating rotation angles of vertebrae in said curved segment, and wherein said rotation angle of each vertebrae in said segment relative to a reference position in a reference image is determined by a method comprising the steps of: