3D Structural Measurements of the Proximal Femur from 2D DXA Images Using a Statistical Atlas

A method to obtain 3D structural measurements of the proximal femur from 2D DXA images and a statistical atlas is presented. A statistical atlas of a proximal femur was created consisting of both 3D shape and volumetric density information and then deformably registered to 2D fan-beam DXA images. After the registration process, a series of 3D structural measurements were taken on QCT-estimates generated by transforming the registered statistical atlas into a voxel volume. These measurements were compared to the equivalent measurements taken on the actual QCT (ground truth) associated with the DXA images for each of 20 human cadaveric femora. The methodology and results are presented to address the potential clinical feasibility of obtaining 3D structural measurements from limited angle DXA scans and a statistical atlas of the proximal femur in-vivo.