Geometric Analysis of the Human Spine for image-based diagnosis, biomechanical analysis, and neurosurgery

Within Spine-Analysis project, articulated shape models of the human spine for surgeon planning are developed. In cooperation with the Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Koblenz-Landau, shapes and physical properties of vertebral bodies are extracted from medical imagedata (CT). Statistical models allow the fitting and representation of unique features based on an averaged vertebral body. An articulated spinemodel enables the movement and interaction with the reconstructed spine, aimed for medical surgeon planning.