MORPHOMETRY OF THE HUMAN HIP JOINT AND PREDICTION OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

摘要

Apparatus and method for analysing the morphometry of a human hip joint. The apparatus comprises :- image receiving means for receiving a digital image of a hip joint; image analysis means comprising an Active Shape Model (ASM) configured to identify a set of landmark points on said image, wherein said set of landmark points includes points which correspond to features of the proximal femur and the region of the pelvis forming the acetabulum, the ASM being further configured to generate an image data-set from the co- ordinates of said landmark points; and data comparison means for comparing said image data- set with one or more comparative data-sets to thereby obtain value (s) for one or more output modes which characterise the variation of the image data-set from the comparative data- set(s), to thereby provide an indication of the presence and/or severity of osteoarthritis in the hip and/or the risk of the hip joint developing osteoarthritis.