Ribcage characterization for FE using automatic CT processing

Standard medical chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans of 46 subjects were analyzed to characterize aspects of human ribcage geometry and bone density. A semi-automatic algorithm was developed to define framework curves for individual ribs. Measurements of this framework were taken to record anthropometric properties of the ribcage such as overall ribcage dimensions and individual rib lengths and angles. Furthermore, the ribcage framework was used to explore the voxel space of the CT images, recording local rib bone cross-sectional density properties. Proposals are made for the use of these measurement techniques to inform and improve human finite element (FE) chest models in terms of global geometry, material properties, and individuality.