Dynamic range enhancement of consumer digital camera acquired hip prosthesis X-ray images

The X-ray film image is the main medical diagnosis tool in the evaluation of the fit of the hip prostheses inserted in total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures. In the design of a computer-aided diagnosis tool, one of the most important operations is the digital capture of the film images. This contribution investigates the use of a consumer-grade digital still camera as a digital acquisition tool for hip prosthesis X-ray images. We propose and discuss two methods for the increase of the dynamic range and contrast of the digital image, using single or multiple pictures of the radiological film. The prosthesis stem is segmented from the resulting digital images enabling the measurement of basic clinical parameters (stem fit within the medular channel, Gruen areas identification).