Trabecular bone histomorphometric measurements and contrast-to-noise ratio in CBCT

• Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate how imaging parameters at clinical dental CBCT affect the accuracy in quantifying trabecular bone structures, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and radiation dose.Methods: 15 radius samples were examined using CBCT (Accuitomo FPD; J. Morita Mfg., Kyoto, Japan). Nine imaging protocols were used, differing in current, voltage, rotation degree, voxel size, imaging area and rotation time. Radiation doses were measured using a KAP-meter. After segmentation, six bone structure parameters and CNR were quantified. Micro-CT images with an isotropic resolution of 20 microns were used as a gold standard.Results: Structure parameters obtained by CBCT were strongly correlated to those by micro CT, with correlation coefficients .0.90 for all studied parameters. Bone volume and trabecular thickness were not affected by changes in imaging parameters. Increased tube current from 5 to 8 mA, decreased isotropic voxel size from 125 to 80 microns and decreased rotation anglefrom 360° to 180° affected correlations for trabecular termini negatively. Decreasing rotation degree also weakened correlations for trabecular separation and trabecular number at 80 microns voxel size. Changes in the rotation degree and tube current affected CNR significantly. The radiation dose varied between 269 and 1284 mGy cm2.Conclusions: Trabecular bone structure can be accurately quantified by clinical dental CBCT in vitro, and the obtained structure parameters are strongly related to those obtained by micro CT. A fair CNR and strong correlations can be obtained with a low radiation dose, indicating the possibility for monitoring trabecular bone structure also in vivo.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Radiologi och bildbehandling (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging (hsv//eng)

Keyword

CBCT; micro-computed tomography; trabecular 7 bone; histomorphometry; bone segmentation; osteoporosis

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)