Patent ID: 8126240

Claim:
A method of deriving an estimate of the extent of fracture in a vertebra by processing an image of part of a spine, comprising the steps of: segmenting the image of at least two vertebrae in the spine to obtain data representative of the shape and size of each of the vertebrae; reconstructing an approximation of the shape of a first of the vertebrae by: comparing the shape and size data obtained for a second of the two vertebrae with a mathematical shape and size model of at least the same two vertebrae of an unfractured spine; adapting the second vertebra in the model to fit the second imaged vertebra with consequent changes to the remainder of the model; and predicting the unfractured shape and size of the first vertebra using the first vertebra of the adapted model; comparing the shape and size of the first vertebra as imaged with the predicted unfractured shape and size of the first vertebra; and computing the difference between the respective images to obtain a result representative of the extent of fracture in the first vertebra.