Advanced Methods for the Quantification of Trabecular Bone Structure and Density in Micro Computed Tomography Images

Bone remodeling is a life long process composed of bone formation and resorption. Imbalance between bone formation and resorption is a cause of metabolic bone diseases. Thus, the understanding of factors that affect the remodeling balance is of great importance. Conventionally bone structure is measured using histomorphometry of thin stained sections which is destructive and non-reproducible. In contrast, volumetric microcomputed tomography (µCT) imaging is a powerful tool for quantifying bone quality of small samples non-destructively. The aim of this thesis is to develop an analysis tool to quantify trabecular bone of mouse tibiae with high efficiency, accuracy and reproducibility.