Generation of Synthetic Images of Trabecular Bone Based on Micro-CT Scans

Abstract

Creating synthetic images of trabecular tissue provides an alternative for researchers to validate algorithms designed to study trabecular bone. Developing synthetic images requires baseline data, such as datasets of digital biological samples or templates, often unavailable due to privacy restrictions. Even when this baseline is available, the standard procedure combines the information to generate a single template as a starting point, reducing the variability in the generated synthetic images. This work proposes a methodology for building synthetic images of trabecular bone structure, creating a 3D network that simulates it. Next, the technical characteristics of the micro-CT scanner, the biomechanical properties of trabecular bones, and the physics of the imaging process to produce a synthetic image are simulated. The proposed methodology does not require biological samples, datasets, or templates to generate synthetic images. Since each synthetic image built is unique, the methodology is enabled to generate a vast number of synthetic images, useful in the performance comparison of algorithms under different imaging conditions. The created synthetic images were assessed using microarchitecture parameters of reference, and experimental results provided evidence that the obtained values match approaches requiring initial data. The scope of this methodology covers research aspects related to using synthetic images in further biomedical research or the development of educational training tools to understand the medical image.