Automatical Syndesmophyte Contour Extraction from Lateral C Spine Radiographs

This article describes the problem of segmentation of the spine for lateral C spine radiographs. In this case, the most frequently used approach is the Active Shape Model. The use of the Active Appearance Model is considered in this paper. Segmentation quality of sample data is tested for selected preprocessing and predetecting edge algorithms: Sobel filter, Canny edge detection algorithm, and Statistical Dominance Algorithm. The particularly important issue of precise description of contours is considered and partially tested. The aim is to deliver a good quality preliminary step to syntactic analysis of vertebrae using the generalized shape language.