Principal investigator: C. Chappard

Collaborators: S. Pallu, R. Nizard

Osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) are highly prevalent health issues, associated with considerable morbidity. The development of dual x-ray absorptiometry as quantitative imaging in the past has been beneficial to define treatment strategy for OP. The team is involved to improve the prediction of fracture of the upper extremity of femur using quantitative analysis such as texture and finite elements analyses on clinical computed tomography images.

Quantitative imaging is an opportunity to improve the patient management strategy, what has been learned in OP can be brought to other osteo-articular diseases.

Standard radiography is widely used in routine clinical diagnostic and for follow-up osteo-articular diseases and for post-surgery management. The main drawback of plain radiography is that it conveys a 3D complex structure into 2D picture with as a consequence a lack of sensitivity. For example in OA, standard radiography is still recommended to assess the structural disease progression, MRI is also used but high resolution 3D MRI are not available for clinical routine. Computed tomography has the disadvantage to be an irradiative method not used to monitor chronic diseases and post-surgery but can provide isotropic three-dimensional images with sufficient details for metrology analysis.

Xray image of cartilage and osteochondral bone

Technological developments for 3D computed tomography is to supply low dose images based on a cone beam acquisition and iterative reconstruction. This new technology could facilitate diagnosis and follow-up of osteo-articular diseases and orthopedic surgery management. For this aim, first developments have been performed, the team is involved at present time in development of 3D C-arm for orthopedic surgery, and finally in collaboration with CERMEP, CREATIS Lyon and ESRF Grenoble, we are tested the opportunity for osteo-articular diseases to use spectral photons counting computed tomography with the advantage to improve the soft tissue contrast.

We are interested also in development of biomarkers more specifically joint space and cartilage segmentation on 3D images and we used a multiscale approach for validation with conventional and/or synchrotron micro-tomography.

Collaborators