Computer analysis of MR images of human knee joints to measure femoral cartilage thickness

The thickness of articular cartilage can be an important parameter to assess the progression of osteoarthritis. Although Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can directly visualise cartilage, so far subjective measurement and poor reproducibility have been major problems in the quantitative estimation of cartilage thickness. The ability of MR contrast to visualise cartilage, and an objective assessment using a computerised edge detection technique have now been combined together to give a fully automatic measurement of femoral cartilage thickness for the human knee joint.