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Computer Aided Detection of Bone Metastases in the Thoracolumbar Spine

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Spinal Imaging and Image Analysis

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics ((LNCVB,volume 18))

Abstract

Computer-aided detection (CAD) techniques and algorithms for radiologic applications are rapidly growing in scope and sophistication. One important application of CAD techniques in medicine is in the detection and assessment of metastatic disease to the bone. Bone metastases affect approximately 400,000 patients per year in the United States. Early detection of bone metastases is important clinically, as the prognosis can change and the treatment regimen can at that point be altered from one of curative therapy to one of palliative treatment. Both lytic and sclerotic metastatic disease can act to biomechanically weaken the bone, and potentially lead to pathologic fractures. This chapter presents a framework for computer-aided detection of lytic and sclerotic metastatic lesions in the thoracolumbar spine using computed tomography (CT). State-of-art techniques are described in detail in each module of the framework. Thorough validation experiments are designed and results are presented. We also discuss the clinical significance and limitation of the CAD system.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imaging Biomarkers and Computer-Aided Diagnosis Laboratory, Radiology and Imaging Sciences Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1182, USA

    Jianhua Yao & Ronald M. Summers

  2. Department of Radiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92868, USA

    Joseph E. Burns

Authors
  1. Jianhua Yao
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  2. Joseph E. Burns
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  3. Ronald M. Summers
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Correspondence to Jianhua Yao .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. GE Healthcare and University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

    Shuo Li

  2. Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Jianhua Yao

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Yao, J., Burns, J.E., Summers, R.M. (2015). Computer Aided Detection of Bone Metastases in the Thoracolumbar Spine. In: Li, S., Yao, J. (eds) Spinal Imaging and Image Analysis. Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12508-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12508-4_4

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