Multi-angle deformation analysis of Hoffa's fat pad
Kevin Stevenson, Mark E. Schweitzer, Ghassan Hamarneh · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2006
Recent advances in medical research hypothesize that certain body fat, in addition to having a classical role of energy storage, may also have mechanical function. In particular, we analyzed the infrapatellar fat pad of Hoffa using 3D CT images of the knee at multiple angles to determine how the fat pad changes shape as the knee bends and whether the fat pad provides cushioning in the knee joint. The images were initially processed using a median filter then segmented using a region growing technique to isolate the fat pad from the rest of the knee. Next, rigid registration was performed to align the series of images to match the reference image. Finally, multi-resolution FEM registration was completed between the aligned images. The resulting displacements fields were used to determine the local volume change of the fat pad as the knee bends from extension to flexion through different angles. This multi-angle analysis provides a finer description of the intermediate deformations compared to earlier work, where only a pair of images (full extension and flexion) was analyzed.