Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Engineering - Department of Systems and Biomedical Engineering

Diseases of the vertebral column and intervertebral discs are major source of lower back- pain. Computer Aided Diagnosis and Computer Assisted Surgery have the potential to aid many orthopedic, neurological and oncological applications where precise segmentation of the spinal anatomy is beneficial. It is desired to maximize the percentage of success of radiologist during diagnosis and neurosurgeon during planning of surgical protocol through designing a highly accurate segmentation system(s). We proposed four systems for lower back MR images segmentation. The mean DSI assure the extraordinary results. The proposed segmentation systems are characterized by simplicity, straightforward interaction and having low time consumption. A sample test for the force applied on the lumbar spine using finite element analysis is studied as a future system for diagnosis

Issued also as CD