基于Mimics软件虚拟人膝关节三维图像融合实验

背景：国内外已有学者利用不同的方法对人体膝关节进行三维建模,根据各自研究侧重点不同,在方法和最终效果上各有不同。 目的：根据不同模态中膝关节影像的特点,将膝关节建模结果进行配准、融合,为进一步生物力学研究提供一种方便的方法。 方法：采用Mimics V 10.0软件根据膝关节在CT和MR断层图像的特点,选择不同分割算法进行膝关节解剖组织分割,并对不同的分割图像进行三维重建。 结果与结论：基于逆向工程原理,利用虚拟人膝关节连续CT断面图像分别重建出膝关节的骨性结构如股骨、胫骨、腓骨、髌骨;并利用膝关节的连续MRI断面图像重建出半月板、髌韧带、内侧副韧带、前交叉韧带、后交叉韧带等结构,并成功对上述结构进行融合,融合后的三维膝关节模型可以任意角度或单独观察,并可以进行体视学测量。说明通过不同模态图像融合的方法可以建立膝关节的三维模型,为计算机辅助膝关节损伤康复研究奠定基础。     

A fully automated human knee 3D MRI bone segmentation using the ray casting technique

This study aimed at developing a fully automated bone segmentation method for the human knee (femur and tibia) from magnetic resonance (MR) images. MR imaging was acquired on a whole body 1.5T scanner with a gradient echo fat suppressed sequence using an extremity coil. The method was based on the Ray Casting technique which relies on the decomposition of the MR images into multiple surface layers to localize the boundaries of the bones and several partial segmentation objects being automatically merged to obtain the final complete segmentation of the bones. Validation analyses were performed on 161 MR images from knee osteoarthritis patients, comparing the developed fully automated to a validated semi-automated segmentation method, using the average surface distance (ASD), volume correlation coefficient, and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). For both femur and tibia, respectively, data showed excellent bone surface ASD (0.50 ± 0.12 mm; 0.37 ± 0.09 mm), average oriented distance between bone surfaces within the cartilage domain (0.02 ± 0.07 mm; −0.05 ± 0.10 mm), and bone volume DSC (0.94 ± 0.05; 0.92 ± 0.07). This newly developed fully automated bone segmentation method will enable large scale studies to be conducted within shorter time durations, as well as increase stability in the reading of pathological bone.     

3D cerebral MR image segmentation using multiple-classifier system

The three soft brain tissues white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) identified in a magnetic resonance (MR) image via image segmentation techniques can aid in structural and functional brain analysis, brain’s anatomical structures measurement and visualization, neurodegenerative disorders diagnosis, and surgical planning and image-guided interventions, but only if obtained segmentation results are correct. This paper presents a multiple-classifier-based system for automatic brain tissue segmentation from cerebral MR images. The developed system categorizes each voxel of a given MR image as GM, WM, and CSF. The algorithm consists of preprocessing, feature extraction, and supervised classification steps. In the first step, intensity non-uniformity in a given MR image is corrected and then non-brain tissues such as skull, eyeballs, and skin are removed from the image. For each voxel, statistical features and non-statistical features were computed and used a feature vector representing the voxel. Three multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks trained using three different datasets were used as the base classifiers of the multiple-classifier system. The output of the base classifiers was fused using majority voting scheme. Evaluation of the proposed system was performed using Brainweb simulated MR images with different noise and intensity non-uniformity and internet brain segmentation repository (IBSR) real MR images. The quantitative assessment of the proposed method using Dice, Jaccard, and conformity coefficient metrics demonstrates improvement (around 5 % for CSF) in terms of accuracy as compared to single MLP classifier and the existing methods and tools such FSL-FAST and SPM. As accurately segmenting a MR image is of paramount importance for successfully promoting the clinical application of MR image segmentation techniques, the improvement obtained by using multiple-classifier-based system is encouraging.     

Moment arms of the knee extensor mechanism in children and adults

In the present study we investigated whether there are differences in the patellar tendon moment arm (PTMA)-knee angle relationship between pre-pubertal children and adults, and whether the PTMA length scales to relevant anthropometric measurements in the two groups. Anthropometric characteristics and the PTMA length-joint angle relationships were determined in 20 adults and 20 pre-pubertal children of both genders. The anthropometric characteristics measured were height, body mass, knee circumference, medio-lateral knee breadth, anterior-posterior knee depth, leg length, femur length and tibia length. The PTMA was quantified from magnetic resonance images using the geometric centre of the femoral condyle method, at every 5° between 55° and 90° of knee flexion (0° is full extension). Adults had a significantly greater PTMA length at all joint angles (4.2 ± 0.4 vs. 3.6 ± 0.3 cm at 90°; P  < 0.01), with the PTMA length decreasing from knee extension to knee flexion similarly in both adults and children. There were no significant and strong correlations between the PTMA and anthropometric measures in adults for any joint angle. In contrast, the PTMA correlated and scaled with anthropometric characteristics for the children ( P  < 0.05, r  = 0.49–0.9) at all joint angles. The PTMA length in children was most accurately predicted at 85° of flexion from the equation PTMA = –0.25 + 0.083·tibia length + 0.02·leg length ( R ² = 0.83). These findings indicate that the knee extensor mechanism in pre-pubertal children should not be considered to be a 'scaled-down' version of that in adults.     

Biometrics of the four-bar link of the cruciate ligaments in projection on the flexion-extension plane of the human knee joint

Measurements on the proportions, angles and position were carried out on the four-bar link of the knee joint, which consists of femur, tibia and the guiding bundle of each cruciate ligament. Based on the these values it was possible to refute Menschik's kinematic concept of collateral ligament function.     

Automatic segmentation of the bone and extraction of the bone-cartilage interface from magnetic resonance images of the knee

The accurate segmentation of the articular cartilages from magnetic resonance (MR) images of the knee is important for clinical studies and drug trials into conditions like osteoarthritis. Currently, segmentations are obtained using time-consuming manual or semi-automatic algorithms which have high inter- and intra-observer variabilities. This paper presents an important step towards obtaining automatic and accurate segmentations of the cartilages, namely an approach to automatically segment the bones and extract the bone-cartilage interfaces (BCI) in the knee. The segmentation is performed using three-dimensional active shape models, which are initialized using an affine registration to an atlas. The BCI are then extracted using image information and prior knowledge about the likelihood of each point belonging to the interface. The accuracy and robustness of the approach was experimentally validated using an MR database of fat suppressed spoiled gradient recall images. The (femur, tibia, patella) bone segmentation had a median Dice similarity coefficient of (0.96, 0.96, 0.89) and an average point-to-surface error of 0.16 mm on the BCI. The extracted BCI had a median surface overlap of 0.94 with the real interface, demonstrating its usefulness for subsequent cartilage segmentation or quantitative analysis.     

Automatic Scan Planning for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Knee Joint

Automatic scan planning for magnetic resonance imaging of the knee aims at defining an oriented bounding box around the knee joint from sparse scout images in order to choose the optimal field of view for the diagnostic images and limit acquisition time. We propose a fast and fully automatic method to perform this task based on the standard clinical scout imaging protocol. The method is based on sequential Chamfer matching of 2D scout feature images with a three-dimensional mean model of femur and tibia. Subsequently, the joint plane separating femur and tibia, which contains both menisci, can be automatically detected using an information-augmented active shape model on the diagnostic images. This can assist the clinicians in quickly defining slices with standardized and reproducible orientation, thus increasing diagnostic accuracy and also comparability of serial examinations. The method has been evaluated on 42 knee MR images. It has the potential to be incorporated into existing systems because it does not change the current acquisition protocol.     

基于CT和MRI膝关节有限元模型建立与不同载荷下生物力学特性分析

基于CT和MRI图像数据建立膝关节有限元模型,采用六面体网格对不同载荷系统下人体膝关节生物力学特性进行研究,并进行有效性验证。建立膝关节有限元模型包括:股骨、胫骨、髌骨、腓骨、股骨软骨、胫骨软骨、腓骨软骨、半月板、前后交叉韧带、内外侧副韧带、髌韧带和股四头肌腱等。对膝关节施加1 kN轴向压缩载荷、134 N后向抽屉力和5、10、15 N[?m内翻力矩和外翻力矩,分析膝关节内软骨和半月板的接触应力和接触面积,股骨内外翻倾角以及位移变化情况。在1 kN压缩载荷和134 N抽屉力作用下,股骨软骨、内外侧半月板和内外侧胫骨软骨的接触应力峰值分别为4.47、3.25、2.83、2.70、2.53 MPa,Von Mises应力峰值分别为2.22、2.44、2.25、2.07、1.64 MPa。股骨相对胫骨前向位移为4.19 mm。施加5、10、15 N[?m内翻和外翻力矩时,股骨内翻和外翻倾角分别为3.49°、4.48°、4.91°和3.22°、3.62°、4.01°。随着力矩的线性增大,膝关节各组成部分的应力呈非线性变化趋势。膝关节软骨、半月板和韧带的研究结果符合其生物力学特性,与前人数值分析和实验研究结果相一致,可为临床膝关节生理病理分析和治疗提供一定的理论依据。     

A 3D MRI sequence for computer assisted surgery of the lumbar spine

The aim of this research was to develop a magnetic resonance (MR) sequence capable of producing images suitable for use with computer assisted surgery (CAS) of the lumbar spine. These images needed good tissue contrast between bone and soft tissue to allow for image segmentation and generation of a 3D-surface model of the bone for surface registration. A 3D double echo fast gradient echo sequence was designed. Images were filtered for noise and non-uniformity and combined into a single data set. Registration experiments were carried out to directly compare segmentation of MR and computed tomography (CT) images using a physical model of a spine. These experiments showed the MR data produced adequate surface registration in 90% of the experiments compared to 100% with CT data. The MR images acquired using the sequence and processing described in this article are suitable to be used with CAS of the spine.     

Biomechanics of the knee joint in flexion under various quadriceps forces

Bioemchanics of the entire knee joint including tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints were investigated at different flexion angles (0° to 90°) and quadriceps forces (3, 137, and 411 N). In particular, the effect of changes in location and magnitude of restraining force that counterbalances the isometric extensor moment on predictions was investigated. The model consisted of three bony structures and their articular cartilage layers, menisci, principal ligaments, patellar tendon, and quadriceps muscle. Quadriceps forces significantly increased the anterior cruciate ligament, patellar tendon, and contact forces/areas as well as the joint resistant moment. Joint flexion, however, substantially diminished them all with the exception of the patellofemoral contact force/area that markedly increased in flexion. When resisting extensor moment by a force applied on the tibia, the force in cruciate ligaments and tibial translation significantly altered as a function of magnitude and location of the restraining force. Quadriceps activation generated large ACL forces at full extension suggesting that post ACL reconstruction exercises should avoid large quadriceps exertions at near full extension angles. In isometric extension exercises against a force on the tibia, larger restraining force and its more proximal location to the joint substantially decreased forces in the anterior cruciate ligament at small flexion angles whereas they significantly increased forces in the posterior cruciate ligament at larger flexion angles.     

The arterial blood supply of the human patella

The architecture of the arteries supplying the patellar rete was examined in 14 anatomic specimens in order to develop an optimized operating technique for knee joint transplantation. The specimens were fixed in Jores Solution and exarticulated from the hip joint. The lower limbs were injected with Berliner-Blau-Gelatin, and the arteries were dissected macroscopically. Five to six main arteries entered the patellar rete at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11 o’clock forming an arterial circle. These arteries were the same main arteries which supply the distal end of the femur and the proximal part of the tibia. From an anatomic perspective, they provide the complete arterial blood supply to a whole knee joint being transplanted including the patella. Based on these anatomic results, we transplanted two allogenic vascularized human knee joints preserving the patella, the capsule, and the patellar ligament. Up to six months after surgery we demonstrated the perfusion and viability of all three transplanted bones, particularly the patella, by 99mTc DPD scintigraphy. We compared these findings with knee joint arthroscopy and with histologic results from biopsies taken from the patella. The postoperative examinations clearly indicated the viability of the transplanted patella employing this new operating technique. The results of the entire study demonstrate that it is technically feasible to transplant a whole knee joint which remains clinically viable.     

膝关节单髁置换术胫骨假体不同后倾角对假体磨损和功能的影响

目的 建立单髁置换术胫骨假体后倾3°和7°膝关节不同屈膝角度三维有限元模型,研究两种后倾角膝关节生物力学特性和假体磨损及其对功能的影响.方法 结合人体膝关节CT与MRI图像和第3代Oxford假体,建立胫骨假体后倾3°和7°下屈膝单髁置换术有限元模型,在股骨内外侧髁中心点上施加1 kN载荷模拟人体站立相负重,分析不同屈...     

Development of a subject-specific model to predict the forces in the knee ligaments at high flexion angles

Recent clinical evidence has suggested that tasks performed in kneeling or squatting postures place the knee at a higher risk for injury because loads across the knee might overload the ligaments. The objective of this study was to develop a subject-specific model of the knee that is kinematically driven to predict the forces in the major ligaments at high flexion angles. The geometry of the femur, tibia, and fibula and the load-elongation curves representing the structural properties of the ACL, PCL, LCL, and MCL served as inputs to the model, which represented each ligament as a nonlinear elastic spring. To drive the model, kinematic data was obtained while loads were applied to the same cadaveric knee at four flexion angles. The force in each ligament during the recorded kinematic data allowed an optimization procedure to determine the location of the ligament attachment sites on each bone and their reference lengths. The optimization procedure could successfully minimize the differences between the experimental and predicted forces only when the kinematics at 90°, 120°, and 140° of flexion were utilized. This finding suggests that the ligaments at the knee function differently at high-flexion angles compared to low flexion angles and separate models must be used to examine each range of motion. In the future, the novel experimental and computational methodology will be used to construct additional models and additional knee kinematics will be input to help elucidate mechanisms of injury during tasks performed in kneeling or squatting postures.     

Impingement of the patellar component against the tibial post depends on the design of the post-cam mechanism: Comparison between 12 posterior stabilized total knee prostheses

Background

Patella–post impingement (PPI), contact of the patellar component with the tibial post, occurs during deep knee flexion after posterior stabilized total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In a previous pilot study, only two product lines were investigated. The aim of this study was to compare PPI between 12 contemporary posterior stabilized knee prostheses.

Quantitative relationships of normal cartilage volumes of the human knee joint – assessment by magnetic resonance imaging

The objective of this study was to assess the normal range of cartilage volumes in the knee joints of healthy adults, the ratio between the patellar, femoral, and tibial cartilages, and the correlation of the volumes with age, body weight, height, body mass index (obesity), patellar bone size, and the diameter of the tibial head. We examined the knee joints of nine healthy volunteers and eleven normal post-mortem specimens with an age range of 24 to 82 years. The cartilage volumes of the patella, femur, medial tibia and the lateral tibia were quantified, using a fat-suppressed FLASH-3D sequence (resolution 2×0.31×0.31 mm³) and digital postprocessing, involving three-dimensional reconstruction. The mean total volume of the knee joint cartilage was 23,245 mm³, the relative standard deviation (CV%) 19%, and the range 16,341 to 33,988 mm³. In the patella, femur and tibia, the CV% amounted to between 22 and 25%. These joint surfaces occupied a relatively variable proportion of the total knee joint volume, the percentage of the patella being 11 to 22%, that of the femur 54 to 69%, that of the medial tibia 7 to 12%, and that of lateral tibia 11 to 16%. The volumes of the lateral tibia were systematically higher than those of the medial tibia (P<0.001). There was no significant correlation of the knee joint cartilage volume with age (r=+0.05), body weight (r=+0.38), height (r=+0.39) or body mass index (r=+0.29), but a relatively high correlation with the diameter of the tibial head (r=+0.78, P<0.001). After normalising the volumes to this diameter, the CV% of the total knee joint cartilge volume was reduced to 13%, its variation being 12 to 21% in the patella, femur and tibia. MRI is available for measuring cartilage volume during growth, functional adaptation, and tissue loss in degenerative joint disease. The study shows that a wide variation of cartilage volumes exists in the knee joints of normal adults. To reduce the variability between individuals, the cartilage volumes may be normalised to the head of the tibial diameter.     

Volume and Shape in Feature Space on Adaptive FCM in MRI Segmentation

Intensity non-uniformity (bias field) correction, contextual constraints over spatial intensity distribution and non-spherical cluster’s shape in the feature space are incorporated into the fuzzy c-means (FCM) for segmentation of three-dimensional multi-spectral MR images. The bias field is modeled by a linear combination of smooth polynomial basis functions for fast computation in the clustering iterations. Regularization terms for the neighborhood continuity of either intensity or membership are added into the FCM cost functions. Since the feature space is not isotropic, distance measures, other than the Euclidean distance, are used to account for the shape and volumetric effects of clusters in the feature space. The performance of segmentation is improved by combining the adaptive FCM scheme with the criteria used in Gustafson-Kessel (G-K) and Gath-Geva (G-G) algorithms through the inclusion of the cluster scatter measure. The performance of this integrated approach is quantitatively evaluated on normal MR brain images using the similarity measures. The improvement in the quality of segmentation obtained with our method is also demonstrated by comparing our results with those produced by FSL (FMRIB Software Library), a software package that is commonly used for tissue classification.     

Predictors of patellar alignment during weight bearing: An examination of patellar height and trochlear geometry

BackgroundPatellar malalignment is thought to be an etiological factor with respect to the development of patellofemoral pain. Although previous studies have suggested that the geometry of the femoral trochlea and the height of the patella play an important role in determining patellar alignment, no investigation has systematically examined these relationships during weight bearing. The aim of this study was to determine whether patellar height and/or trochlear geometry predicts patellar alignment (lateral patellar displacement and lateral patellar tilt) during weight bearing.MethodsMR images of the patellofemoral joint were acquired from 36 participants during weight bearing (25% of body weight) at 4 knee flexion angles (0°, 20°, 40° and 60°). Using the axial images, patellar alignment (lateral displacement and tilt) and femoral trochlear geometry (sulcus angle and inclination of the lateral femoral trochlea) were measured. Patellar height (Insall–Salvati ratio) was measured on reconstructed sagittal plane images.ResultsStepwise regression analysis revealed that at 0° of knee flexion, the height of the patella was the best predictor of lateral patellar tilt while the lateral trochlea inclination angle was the best predictor of lateral patellar displacement. Lateral trochlear inclination was the best predictor of patellar lateral displacement and tilt at 20°, 40° and 60° of knee flexion.ConclusionSimilar to a previous study performed under non-weight bearing condition, our findings suggest that lateral trochlear inclination is an important determinant of patellar alignment in weight bearing.Level of EvidenceLevel III     

基于MRI的全膝有限元模型建立与前交叉韧带重建术模拟方案

目的建立完整的人体膝关节三维有限元模型,并在此基础上建立了用于前交叉韧带重建模拟的胫股骨隧道和人工韧带模型,为进一步分析打下基础。方法以MRI图像作为数据源,运用逆向工程软件Geomagic及有限元分析软件ANSYS9.0,参考大量有关实验测试数据的文献报道,建立所需三维有限元模型。结果建立的膝关节三维有限元模型包括胫腓骨上段、股骨下段、胫股骨软骨层、胫股骨隧道、内外侧半月板、后交叉韧带、内外侧副韧带和髌韧带,几何形状良好。胫腓骨隧道和人工韧带的模拟巧妙简便,基本可以满足有限元分析的需要。结论采用MRI图像建立膝关节三维有限元模型切实可靠,能很好地模拟膝关节内部的真实解剖结构及前交叉韧带重建术中的胫股骨隧道。     

国人膝关节面的应用解剖学观测

目的观测国人膝关节的相关形态学指标,为膝关节损伤修复和关节重建等提供解剖学依据。方法利用游标卡尺、求积仪等仪器对43具成人出土骨骼的完整膝关节进行形态学测量。结果膝关节面积测量：胫骨内侧髁关节面面积左侧（6.93±1.56）cm^2,右侧（7.08±1.51）cm^2;胫骨外侧髁关节面面积左侧（7.61±0.97）cm^2,右侧（7.74±0.64）cm^2;股骨内侧髁关节面面积左侧（21.66±3.22）cm^2,右侧（21.12±1.86）cm^2;股骨外侧髁关节面面积左侧（24.02±3.97）cm^2,右侧（24.02±3.97）cm^2;髌骨关节面面积左侧（5.24±1.19）cm^2,右侧（6.20±1.08）cm^2。胫骨髁间隆起测量：高度左侧（1.08±0.27）cm,右侧（0.89±0.09）cm;宽度左侧（1.33±0.24）cm,右侧（1.21±0.04）cm。股骨髁间窝测量：深度左侧（2.26±0.29）cm,右侧（2.30±0.18）cm;宽度左侧（1.94±0.12）cm,右侧（1.88±0.16）cm。结论膝关节损伤修复、关节重建等均应以膝关节的形态学为依据方能达到良好的治疗效果。     

膝关节置换中以ROM技术定位胫骨假体的旋转力线

文题释义：ROM技术：其原理是先固定股骨假体,然后安放胫骨假体试模而不固定,使胫骨假体试件在股骨假体的引导下进行旋转位置的自我调整,达到胫骨平台自然的与股骨假体结合并处于最合适位置的目的,该技术是目前临床上定位胫骨假体旋转力线较为常用的方法,但据文献报道,该技术确定的胫骨假体旋转力线可能存在误差。 膝关节置换：经历了150年的演变史,目前已经成为晚期骨性关节炎患者的主要治疗措施｡根据膝关节置换部位可分为单间室置换(单髁置换)､双间室置换(膝关节内外间室)､髌股关节置换及三间室置换(内外间室及髌股间室)。国内运用最多的为膝关节双间室置换,常用的术式包括后交叉韧带替代型和后交叉韧带保留型双间室置换,多数文献认为选择哪一种手术方式对患者的长期疗效无显著差异。 背景：ROM技术是膝关节置换过程中确定胫骨假体旋转力线的常用方法,但该技术的准确性仍存在争议,目前ROM技术可能的影响因素尚未见报道。 目的：探讨膝关节置换过程中运用ROM技术确定胫骨假体旋转力线的影响因素。 方法：纳入61例初次接受单侧膝关节置换的患者,男18例,女43例,年龄55-78岁,术前均诊断为膝关节骨性关节炎,所有手术均采用后稳定型膝关节假体。所有患者对治疗方案均知情同意,且得到医院伦理委员会批准。根据ROM技术确定闭合与未闭合内侧支持带时胫骨假体旋转轴线,同时定位后交叉韧带止点中点与髌韧带内侧缘连线(Akagi线)作为参考线,测量2种情况下ROM技术确定的胫骨假体旋转轴线与Akagi线的相对位置关系,术中判断髌骨轨迹分型,从而确定髌骨轨迹分型及闭合内侧支持带与否是否为ROM技术的影响因素。 结果与结论：①术中出现Ⅰ,Ⅱ及Ⅲ型髌骨轨迹时,未闭合内侧支持带时ROM技术确定的胫骨假体旋转轴线与Akagi线之间的夹角分别为(0.5±2.5)°,(-0.9±2.6)°及(-3.9±3.4)°;闭合内侧支持带时夹角分别为(0.6±2.3)°,(-0.3±2.2)°及(-1.5±2.9)°;② Ⅲ型髌骨轨迹可导致ROM技术确定的胫骨旋转轴线与Akagi线之间的夹角明显偏内(P < 0.05);③对于Ⅰ,Ⅱ型髌骨轨迹,是否闭合内侧支持带对ROM技术确定的胫骨假体轴线无明显影响(P > 0.05);对于Ⅲ型髌骨轨迹,闭合内侧支持带可明显减小ROM技术确定的胫骨假体旋转轴线与Akagi线之间的差异(P < 0.05);④结果提示,ROM技术对Ⅰ,Ⅱ型髌骨轨迹的全膝关节置换能够较准确地定位胫骨假体的旋转轴线,无需闭合内侧支持带;出现Ⅲ型髌骨轨迹时,无论是否闭合内侧支持带都可能造成胫骨假体过度内旋。 ORCID: 0000-0002-7360-1881(李叶天) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：人工关节;骨植入物;脊柱;骨折;内固定;数字化骨科;组织工程