METHOD AND DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING VERTEBRAL DATA

A computer-implemented method for providing vertebral data, comprises: receiving imaging data of an examination region, wherein the examination region has a set of vertebrae from a vertebral column; calculating a representation of the set of vertebrae based on the imaging data; calculating the vertebral data based on the representation of the set of vertebrae; and providing the vertebral data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (S)

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2023 201 348.7, filed Feb. 16, 2023, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

One or more example embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for providing vertebral data. One or more example embodiments of the present invention further relate to a data processing system for providing vertebral data.

BACKGROUND

A healthy vertebral column typically has a double-s shape when projected into a sagittal plane and ideally a straight shape when projected into a frontal plane. Typical diseases of the vertebral column result in a lateral deviation of the vertebral column, however, often accompanied by twisting. In severe cases, the vertebral bodies can be deformed. The twisting is often reciprocally opposed, since this is necessary for the body to maintain equilibrium.

SUMMARY

In order to examine the vertebral column, x-ray images can be generated for both the frontal plane and the sagittal plane. Angles and/or lengths can be manually measured on these images, e.g. via corresponding graphical tools. A quantitative detection of scoliosis can be effected on the basis of the Cobb angle, for example, and the inflexion points of the lateral curvature of the vertebral column in the frontal plane can be used to ascertain this. A plurality of methods exist for ascertaining rotation of the vertebral column, e.g. as per Nash and Moe, Perdriolle or Raimondi.

An object of one or more example embodiments of the present invention is to allow an alternative to the conventional provision of vertebral data. At least this object is achieved by the subject matter of an independent claim. Further advantageous aspects of embodiments of the present invention are considered in the dependent claims. Independent of the grammatical term usage, individuals with male, female or other gender identities are included within the term.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for providing vertebral data, which method comprises:receiving imaging data relating to an examination region, said examination region comprising a set of vertebrae from a vertebral column,calculating a representation of the set of vertebrae on the basis of the imaging data,calculating the vertebral data on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae,providing the vertebral data.

The imaging data can be e.g. two-dimensional imaging data and/or three-dimensional imaging data. The imaging data can be e.g. medical imaging data, in particular computed tomography imaging data and/or magnetic resonance imaging data. In particular, it is possible to use imaging data that was not originally recorded for the purpose of examining the vertebral column, but for another purpose, the set of vertebrae from the vertebral column being nonetheless contained in the examination region.

The examination region can comprise the vertebral column or merely a section of the vertebral column. The examination region can be in particular part of a human body and/or comprise e.g. a thoracic cavity, an abdominal cavity and/or a pelvic region. The vertebral column can be in particular a human vertebral column.

In particular, a medical image of the examination region can be calculated on the basis of the imaging data. The medical image can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional, for example. The representation of the set of vertebrae can be visualized in the medical image of the examination region, for example.

The vertebral data can relate to e.g. a distortion of the vertebral column and/or torsion of the vertebral column. The vertebral data can be calculated, in particular automatically, on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae. In this way, e.g. clinical features in the set of vertebrae, in particular relating to the arrangement of the vertebrae, can be taken into consideration automatically. The vertebral data can be provided e.g. in a format which is suitable for inclusion in medical findings. In particular, the execution of the method according to an embodiment of the present invention requires neither manual angle measurements nor manual length measurements with subsequent conversion to angles.

An embodiment variant provides for the representation of the set of vertebrae to comprise, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, at least two points of a top side of the respective vertebra and/or at least two points of a bottom side of this vertebra. In particular, provision can be made for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae to extend essentially between the top side of the respective vertebra and the bottom side of the respective vertebra, in particular in such a way that the respective vertebra is delimited by the top side of the respective vertebra and the bottom side of the respective vertebra in relation to adjacent vertebrae in the set of vertebrae.

Each vertebra in the set of vertebrae can comprise in particular a vertebral body. In particular, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, the vertebral body of the respective vertebra can comprise a top plate and/or a bottom plate. In particular, provision can be made such that, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, the vertebral body of the respective vertebra extends essentially between the top plate of the vertebral body of the respective vertebra and the bottom plate of the vertebral body of the respective vertebra, in particular in such a way that the vertebral body of the respective vertebra is delimited by its top plate and its bottom plate in relation to the vertebral bodies of the adjacent vertebrae in the set of vertebrae.

In particular, provision can be made such that, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, the at least two points of the top side of the respective vertebra are situated in a region of the top plate of the vertebral body of this vertebra and/or such that, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, the at least two points of the bottom side of the respective vertebra are situated in a region of the bottom plate of the vertebral body of this vertebra.

An embodiment variant provides for the representation of the set of vertebrae to be calculated on the basis of the imaging data, specifically by applying a segmentation algorithm to the imaging data. The segmentation algorithm can be based on e.g. a threshold value method, a region growing method and/or on artificial intelligence. The segmentation algorithm can be suitable in particular for vertebral body segmentation and/or vertebra segmentation.

An embodiment variant provides for rotation information to be calculated for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, said rotation information relating to a rotation of the respective vertebra, on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae, the vertebral data for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae comprising the rotation information which relates to the rotation of the respective vertebra.

In particular, provision can be made for calculating a first point of rotation and a first distance point for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae, and for calculating the rotation information which relates to the rotation of the respective vertebra on the basis of the first point of rotation and the first distance point. For example, the rotation information can relate to an angle of rotation of the first distance point about the first point of rotation in a first plane of rotation, and in particular comprise a value for the angle of rotation of the first distance point about the first point of rotation in the first plane of rotation.

In particular, provision can be made for calculating a second point of rotation and a second distance point for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae, and for calculating the rotation information which relates to the rotation of the respective vertebra on the basis of the second point of rotation and the second distance point. For example, the rotation information can relate to an angle of rotation of the second distance point about the second point of rotation in a second plane of rotation, and in particular comprise a value for the angle of rotation of the second distance point about the second point of rotation in the second plane of rotation.

In particular, provision can be made for the top side of the vertebra to comprise the first point of rotation and the first distance point, and for the bottom side of the vertebra to comprise the second point of rotation and the second distance point. In particular, provision can be made for the first point of rotation and/or the second point of rotation to be situated in a region, in particular a central region, of the vertebral body of the vertebra and/or for the first distance point and/or the second distance point to be situated in a region of a spinous process of the vertebra.

An embodiment variant provides for identification information to be calculated for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, said identification information relating to an anatomical identification of the respective vertebra, on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae, the vertebral data for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae comprising the identification information which relates to the anatomical identification of the respective vertebra.

The identification information which relates to the anatomical identification of a vertebra can be calculated in particular on the basis of the shape and/or the size of the respective vertebra, in particular a vertebral body of this vertebra. For example, algorithms based on artificial intelligence are suitable for the purpose of calculating the identification information and can be trained in both healthy anatomies and pathological changes.

In particular, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, the identification information which relates to the anatomical identification of the respective vertebra can comprise a number which is assigned to this vertebra in accordance with an anatomical numbering system. In particular, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae, the identification information which relates to the anatomical identification of the respective vertebra can specify a section of the vertebral column in which this vertebra is situated, and an index of the vertebra in a sequence of vertebrae from this section of the vertebral column. For example, the number “T10” specifies that this is the tenth vertebra in the thoracic section of the vertebral column.

An embodiment variant provides for a representation of a central line of the set of vertebrae to be calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae, the vertebral data being calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line. The central line of the set of vertebrae can be in particular a central line of a section of the vertebral column, said section of the vertebral column comprising the set of vertebrae.

In particular, a support point can be calculated for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae. In particular, the central line can be calculated on the basis of the support points of the vertebrae in the set of vertebrae, e.g. via interpolation between the support points. For example, a spline interpolation is suitable for this purpose. In particular, the curve obtained via interpolation can be smoothed in order to obtain the central line.

The support point for a vertebra can be situated e.g. in a vertebral foramen of the respective vertebra, in particular in the middle of the vertebral foramen of this vertebra. In particular, the central line can essentially run through the vertebral foramina of the vertebrae in the set of vertebrae. Furthermore, for the calculation of the rotation information, provision can be made for the first point of rotation and/or the second point of rotation to be situated on the central line. Furthermore, provision can be made for torsion information relating to a torsion of the vertebral column to be calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line and/or on the basis of the rotation information for the vertebrae in the set of vertebrae, and for the vertebral data to comprise the torsion information.

The representation of the central line can be visualized in the medical image of the examination region, for example. In particular, the representation of the central line can be included in a multiplanar reconstruction of the examination region. The multiplanar reconstruction can be sagittal or coronal, for example.

An embodiment variant provides for distortion information to be calculated for each measurement point in a set of measurement points, said distortion information relating to a deviation of the central line from a reference direction, in particular in the region of the respective measurement point, on the basis of the representation of the central line, the vertebral data for each measurement point in the set of measurement points comprising the distortion information that relates to the deviation of the central line from the reference direction, in particular in the region of the respective measurement point.

The set of measurement points can be calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae, for example. The measurement points in the set of measurement points can be arranged along the set of vertebrae and/or along the central line, for example, being distributed in an essentially uniform manner in particular. Each measurement point in the set of measurement points can be arranged between the two vertebral bodies of a corresponding pair of adjacent vertebrae in the set of vertebrae, for example, in particular at a midpoint between the two vertebral bodies of the corresponding pair of adjacent vertebrae in the set of vertebrae.

The distortion information can show in particular a distortion of the vertebral column. The reference direction can be parallel to an anatomical longitudinal axis, for example. The anatomical longitudinal axis can be in particular the anatomical longitudinal axis of the human body which contains the examination region. Furthermore, for the calculation of the rotation information, provision can be made for the first plane of rotation and the second plane of rotation to be perpendicular to the reference direction and/or for the first plane of rotation and the second plane of rotation to be perpendicular to the central line.

An embodiment variant provides for a projection of the central line into a first projection plane to be calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line, the vertebral data being calculated on the basis of the projection of the central line into the first projection plane.

An embodiment variant provides for a projection of a first normal to the curve into the first projection plane to be calculated for each measurement point in the set of measurement points on the basis of the representation of the central line, the first normal to the curve being perpendicular to the central line and parallel to the first projection plane, the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line from the reference direction being calculated for each measurement point in the set of measurement points on the basis of the projection of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane.

An embodiment variant provides for the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line from the reference direction to comprise a first item of angle information for each measurement point in the set of measurement points, said first item of angle information relating to an angle between the projection of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane and an axis which lies in the first projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction. In particular, the first item of angle information can comprise a value for the angle between the projection of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane and the axis which lies in the first projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction.

An embodiment variant provides for a projection of the central line into a second projection plane to be calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line, said second projection plane being perpendicular to the first projection plane, the vertebral data being calculated on the basis of the projection of the central line into the second projection plane. In particular, provision can be made for the first projection plane to be parallel to the reference direction and/or for the second projection plane to be parallel to the reference direction. In particular, provision can be made for the first projection plane to be a sagittal plane and/or for the second projection plane to be a frontal plane.

An embodiment variant provides for a projection of a second normal to the curve into the second projection plane to be calculated for each measurement point in the set of measurement points on the basis of the representation of the central line, the second normal to the curve being perpendicular to the central line and parallel to the second projection plane, the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line from the reference direction being calculated for each measurement point in the set of measurement points on the basis of the projection of the second normal to the curve into the second projection plane.

In particular, for each measurement point in the set of measurement points, provision can be made for the first normal to the curve and/or the second normal to the curve to be perpendicular to the central line in a region of the respective measurement point. In particular, for each measurement point in the set of measurement points, provision can be made for the first normal to the curve and/or the second normal to the curve to lie in a plane of measurement points which contains the respective measurement point and is perpendicular to the central line.

Furthermore, provision can be made for the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line from the reference direction to comprise a second item of angle information for each measurement point in the set of measurement points, said second item of angle information relating to an angle between the projection of the second normal to the curve into the second projection plane and an axis which lies in the second projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction. In particular, the second item of angle information can comprise a value for the angle between the projection of the second normal to the curve into the second projection plane and the axis which lies in the second projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction.

Embodiments of the present invention further relate to a data processing system for providing vertebral data, having a data interface and a processor, said data processing system being configured to execute one or more embodiments of the inventive method.

Additionally disclosed hereby is a medical imaging system which comprises the inventive data processing system and a medical imaging device for capturing the imaging data of the examination region. The medical imaging device can be a computed tomography device, for example.

The medical imaging device can be selected e.g. from the group of imaging modalities consisting of an x-ray device, a C-arm x-ray device, a computed tomography device (CT device), a molecular imaging device (MI device), a single photon emission computed tomography device (SPECT device), a positron emission tomography device (PET device), a magnetic resonance tomography device (MR device) and combinations thereof, in particular a PET CT device and a PET MR device. The medical imaging device can moreover be a combination of an imaging modality, e.g. selected from the group of imaging modalities, and a radiation modality. In this case, the radiation modality can comprise a radiation unit for the purpose of therapeutic radiation.

Embodiments of the present invention further relate to a non-transitory computer program product comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute one or more embodiments of the inventive method.

The computer program product can be a computer

program or comprise at least one further component in addition to the computer program. The at least one further component of the computer program product can take the form of hardware and/or software.

The computer program product can include e.g. a storage medium, on which at least part of the computer program product is stored, and/or a key for authenticating a user of the computer program product, in particular in the form of a dongle. The computer program product and/or the computer program can include e.g. a cloud application program which is designed to distribute the instructions over various processing units, in particular various computers, of a cloud computing system, each of said processing units being designed to execute one or more of the instructions.

Embodiments of the present invention further relate to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute one or more embodiments of the inventive method.

The inventive computer program product can be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, for example. The computer-readable storage medium can be e.g. a memory stick, a fixed disk or other data medium which can be separably connected to a computer or permanently integrated therein. The computer-readable storage medium can take the form of a region within a storage system, for example, the data processing system being connected to the storage system via the data interface.

The data processing system can comprise e.g. one or more components in the form of hardware and/or one or more components in the form of software. The data processing system can at least partially take the form of a cloud computing system. The data processing system can be and/or comprise e.g. a cloud computing system, a computer network, a computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone or similar, or a combination thereof.

The hardware can interact with software and/or be configured by software, for example. The software can be executed by the hardware, for example. The hardware can be e.g. a storage system, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) system, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) system, a microcontroller system, a processor system and combinations thereof. The processor system can comprise a microprocessor and/or a plurality of interacting microprocessors, for example.

The steps of the method can be executed in the processor of the data processing system, for example, in particular in the form of calculations. A calculation, e.g. the calculation of the representation of the set of vertebrae and/or the calculation of the vertebral data, can be done in particular by applying an algorithm, e.g. a trained machine learning algorithm, to the data on which the calculation is based.

A data transfer between components of the medical imaging system can be effected e.g. via a suitable data transfer interface in each case. The data transfer interface for transferring the data to and/or from a component of the medical imaging system can be realized at least partially in the form of software and/or at least partially in the form of hardware. The data transfer interface can be designed to store data in and/or read data from a region of a storage system, one or more components of the medical imaging system being able to access this region of the storage system.

Data, in particular the imaging data, can be e.g. received by receiving a signal which carries the data and/or by reading in the data, in particular from a computer-readable storage medium. Data, in particular the vertebral data, can be e.g. provided by transmitting a signal which carries the data and/or by writing the data to a computer-readable storage medium and/or by displaying the data on a monitor.

In the context of embodiments of the present invention, features which are described with reference to different embodiment variants of the present invention and/or different statutory classes of claim (method, use, device, system, arrangement, etc.) can be combined to form further embodiment variants of the present invention. For example, a claim relating to a device can also be developed with features which are described or claimed in connection with a method, and vice versa. Functional features of a method can be executed by correspondingly designed material components. The use of the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not preclude multiple instances of the feature concerned. In the context of the present application, the expression “on the basis of” can be understood in particular in the sense of the expression “making use of”. In particular, wording according to which a first feature is calculated (or determined, generated, etc.) on the basis of a second feature, does not preclude the first feature possibly also being calculated (or determined, generated, etc.) on the basis of a third feature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG.1shows the representation of the set of vertebrae T according to a first example. For each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T according to the first example, identification information relating to an anatomical identification of the respective vertebra is calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T, the vertebral data for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T comprising the identification information which relates to the anatomical identification of the respective vertebra. The set of vertebrae T according to the first example is part of a thoracic section of a vertebral column of a first patient and comprises the vertebrae T1to T12. A number is shown for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T, said number being assigned to the respective vertebra in accordance with an anatomical numbering system. For example, the number “T10” indicates that this is the tenth vertebra of the thoracic section of the vertebral column.

The representation of the set of vertebrae T according to the first example comprises, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T, at least two points of a top side of the respective vertebra and at least two points of a bottom side of this vertebra. The representation of the set of vertebrae T according to the first example comprises, for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T, three points of the top side of the respective vertebra, said points being situated in a region of the top plate of the vertebral body of this vertebra, and three points of the bottom side of the respective vertebra, said points being situated in a region of the bottom plate of the vertebral body of this vertebra. For the purpose of illustration, these six points are connected via a polygonal progression. The two outer points of the top plate of the vertebral body and the midway point of the top plate of the vertebral body do not generally lie on a straight line, because the vertebral body is somewhat smaller in the center than at the edges. The two outer points of the bottom plate of the vertebral body and the midway point of the bottom plate of the vertebral body likewise do not generally lie on a straight line, because the vertebral body is somewhat smaller in the center than at the edges.

A representation of a central line L of the set of vertebrae T is calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T, the vertebral data being calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L. For each measurement point M in a set of measurement points, distortion information relating to a deviation of the central line L from a reference direction in the region of this measurement point is calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L, the vertebral data for each measurement point M in the set of measurement points comprising the distortion information that relates to the deviation of the central line L from the reference direction. The reference direction is e.g. parallel to the axis Z.

Each measurement point M in the set of measurement points is e.g. a midpoint between the two vertebral bodies of the corresponding pair of adjacent vertebrae in the set of vertebrae, and is represented as a star. The central line L in the set of vertebrae T is e.g. the interpolated connection between the middles of the vertebral foramina. The central line L does not necessarily lie on the middles of the vertebral bodies or voids.

FIG.2shows two projections of the central line L of the set of vertebrae T according to the first example. A projection LX of the central line L into a first projection plane is calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L, the vertebral data being calculated on the basis of the projection LX of the central line L into the first projection plane. A projection LY of the central line L into a second projection plane is calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L, the second projection plane being perpendicular to the first projection plane, the vertebral data being calculated on the basis of the projection LY of the central line L into the second projection plane. The first projection plane is the sagittal plane, for example. The second projection plane the frontal plane, for example. On the basis of the projection of the central line into the frontal plane, it is possible to ascertain the Cobb angle, for example.

For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, a projection EX of a first normal to the curve into the first projection plane is calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L, the first normal to the curve being perpendicular to the central line L and parallel to the first projection plane, the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line L from the reference direction being calculated for each measurement point M in the set of measurement points on the basis of the projection EX of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane.

For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, a projection EY of a second normal to the curve into the second projection plane is calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L, the second normal to the curve being perpendicular to the central line L and parallel to the second projection plane, the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line L from the reference direction being calculated for each measurement point M in the set of measurement points on the basis of the projection EY of the second normal to the curve into the second projection plane.

For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, the first normal to the curve and the second normal to the curve lie in a plane of measurement points which contains the respective measurement point and is perpendicular to the central line L. The point MX is the projection of the base point at which the central line L goes through the plane of measurement points that contains the measurement point M, into the first projection plane. The point MY is the projection of the base point at which the central line L goes through the plane of measurement points that contains the measurement point M, into the second projection plane.

For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line L from the reference direction comprises a first item of angle information, said first item of angle information relating to an angle between the projection EX of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane and an axis Y which lies in the first projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction. For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, the distortion information which relates to the deviation of the central line L from the reference direction comprises a second item of angle information, said second item of angle information relating to an angle between the projection EY of the second normal to the curve into the second projection plane and an axis X which lies in the second projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction. As a result of the axial scaling, the angle between the projection EX of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane and the axis Y which lies in the first projection plane cannot be read easily.

FIG.3shows the two projections of the central line L of the set of vertebrae T in conjunction with the angles of rotation R of the vertebrae in the set of vertebrae T according to the first example. Values for the angles of rotation R as well as values for the angles from the first item of angle information (in the sagittal plane) and the second item of angle information (in the frontal plane) can be read on the axis N. For each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T, rotation information which relates to a rotation of the respective vertebra is calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T, the vertebral data for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T comprising the rotation information which relates to the rotation of the vertebra concerned.

For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, the corresponding first item of angle information comprises a value for the angle between the projection EX of the first normal to the curve into the first projection plane and the axis Y which lies in the first projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction. For each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, the corresponding second item of angle information comprises a value for the angle between the projection EY of the second normal to the curve into the second projection plane and the axis X which lies in the second projection plane and is perpendicular to the reference direction.

It is noticeable here that the deviation of the central line from the reference direction varies in the range from −10° to +4° in the frontal plane. A classification of a mild scoliosis is established in the vertebra T1accordingly. In the sagittal plane, however, there is a deviation of more than 30° in the vertebra T1. This is significantly more pronounced than in the frontal plane. The angles of rotation R are very small, having a maximum of 1.8° in the vertebra T1.

FIG.4shows the representation of the set of vertebrae T according to a second example. In this case, the vertebra T1is not included in the region of measurement. The set of vertebrae T according to the second example is part of a thoracic section of a vertebral column of a second patient.FIG.5shows two projections of the central line L of the set of vertebrae T according to the second example.FIG.6shows the two projections of the central line L of the set of vertebrae T in conjunction with the angles of rotation R of the vertebrae in the set of vertebrae T according to the second example.

Particularly marked deviations of the central line from the reference direction are evident in the region of the vertebrae T2to T5. The angular difference between the vertebra T4and the vertebra T7in the frontal plane corresponds to the Cobb angle, being 15.6° here. This means that a mild form of scoliosis is present here, but extends over a larger region of the thoracic vertebral column. The angles in the sagittal plane cover an angular range from −8° to +35° with a difference of43.4º between the vertebra T3and the vertebra T10. The angles of rotation R are greatest at the vertebral body T4, specifically 3.6°.

FIG.7shows a data flow diagram with vertebral data. The data record DI comprises the imaging data of the examination region, said examination region including the set of vertebrae T in the vertebral column. The data record D2comprises the representation of the set of vertebrae T, said representation being calculated on the basis of the imaging data. The data record D3comprises the identification information for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T, said identification information relating to an anatomical identification of the respective vertebra and being calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T. The data record D4comprises the representation of the central line L of the set of vertebrae T, said central line L being calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T.

The data record DR comprises the rotation information for each vertebra in the set of vertebrae T, said rotation information relating to a rotation of the respective vertebra and being calculated on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T. The data record DK comprises distortion information for each measurement point M in the set of measurement points, said distortion information relating to a deviation of the central line L from a reference direction and being calculated on the basis of the representation of the central line L. The data record DV comprises an image data record, e.g. a three-dimensional image data record, in which the set of vertebrae T is visualized in conjunction with the identification information and the central line L. In this example, the vertebral data comprises the data records D3, D4, DR, DK and DV.

FIG.8shows a sequence diagram of the method for providing vertebral data, which method comprises:receiving S1imaging data of an examination region, said examination region comprising a set of vertebrae T from a vertebral column,calculating S2a representation of the set of vertebrae T on the basis of the imaging data,calculating S3the vertebral data on the basis of the representation of the set of vertebrae T,providing S4the vertebral data.

FIG.9shows the medical imaging system1, comprising the data processing system3for providing vertebral data and the medical imaging device2for capturing the imaging data of the examination region. The data processing system3comprises the data interface3A and the processor3B and is configured to execute the method according toFIG.8.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath, ” “below, ” “lower, ” “under, ” “above, ” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element (s) or feature (s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below, ” “beneath, ” or “under,” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example terms “below” and “under” may encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. In addition, when an element is referred to as being “between” two elements, the element may be the only element between the two elements, or one or more other intervening elements may be present.