Quantification of Implant Osseointegration by Means of a Reconstruction Algorithm on Micro-computed Tomography Images

One of the most common methods to derive both qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate osseointegration of implants represents histomorphometry. However, this method is time-consuming, destructive, cost-intensive and the two-dimensional (2D) results are only based on one or a few sections of the bone-implant interface. In contrast, micro-computed tomography (µCT) imaging produces three-dimensional (3D) data sets in short time. The present work describes a new image reconstruction algorithm to calculate the effective bone-implant-interface area (eBIIA) by means of µCT. The reconstruction algorithm is based on a series of image processing steps followed by a voxel-boundary-conditioned surface reconstruction. The analysis of the implant-bone interface with µCT is suitable as a non-destructive and accurate method for 3D imaging of the entire bone-implant interface. Despite its limitations in metallic specimen (streak artefacts), μCT imaging is a valuable technique to evaluate the osseointegration of titanium implants.