System and method of predicting future fractures
View Patent ↗Methods of predicting fracture risk of a patient include: obtaining an image of a bone of the patient; determining one or more bone structure parameters; predicting a fracture line with the bone structure parameter; predicting a fracture load at which a fracture will happen; estimating body habitus of the patient; calculating a peak impact force on the bone when the patient falls; and predicting a fracture risk by calculating the ratio between the peak impact force and the fracture load. Inventive methods also include determining the effect of a candidate agent on any subject's risk of fracture.
1. A method for predicting fracture risk using electronic image data of a part of a skeleton of a target in a computer system, the method comprising:
analyzing at least one bone structure parameter corresponding to at least a portion of the target in one or more regions of interest (ROIs);
generating a parameter map from a measurement for the at least one bone structure parameter to predict a fracture line;
analyzing the at least one bone structure parameter along the predicted fracture line to predict a fracture load at which a fracture will occur; and
predicting a fracture risk by calculating a ratio between the fracture load and a peak impact force on the part of the skeleton of the target using a body habitus of the target;
comparing the at least one bone structure parameter to a reference parameter to identify a likely location of the fracture; and
predicting the fracture load of the target with the target's bone structure parameter and a correlation of the reference parameter.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peak impact force is estimated.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peak impact force is calculated.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating bone parameter data corresponding to a bone parameter map of at least a portion of the target.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the data is stored based on clinical risk factors.
6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising storing the bone parameter data in a database of bone parameter data.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one bone structure parameter is at least one parameter from the group consisting of an area ratio, a trabecular perimeter, and combinations thereof.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one bone structure parameter further comprises a first bone parameter being area ratio and a second bone parameter being trabecular perimeter.
9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the parameter map is derived using statistical comparisons of the bone structure parameter to a reference population.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying local abnormalities of bone structure from the parameter map.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: tracing low values or high values on the parameter map; and determining a potential fracture line from the low values or high values.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using watershed segmentation of parameter maps to identify the fracture line.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one bone structure parameter includes at least first and second bone structure parameters, and the method further comprises calculating the fracture load from the first and second bone structure parameters.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the body habitus is related to a soft tissue thickness of the target.
15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the body habitus is related to a standing height of the target.
16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the body habitus is related to a body mass of the target.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bone structure parameter is a bone micro-structure parameter.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bone structure parameter is a bone macro-structure parameter.
19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: transmitting the electronic image data to a second location; converting the electronic image data to a pattern of normal or diseased using the bone structure parameter; and analyzing the converted image.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising transmitting the pattern to a third location for analyzing.
21. A system for analyzing musculoskeletal-related data of a target using a computer, comprising:
means for receiving an image of a part of a skeleton of the target;
means for deriving at least one bone structure parameter from the image;
means for calculating a possibility of a fracture of the target using the at least one bone structure parameter of the target;
means for analyzing the target's bone structure parameter in one or more regions of interest (ROIs) to predict a possible fracture line and calculate a fracture load of the target;
means for estimating or measuring a body habitus of the target; and
means for calculating a peak impact force on the skeleton part when the target falls;
means for obtaining a fracture load of a skeleton part of a reference;
means for correlating a bone structure parameter of the reference to the fracture load of the reference;
means for predicting a fracture risk by calculating a ratio between the fracture load and the peak impact force on the part of the skeleton of the target using a body habitus of the target; and
means for receiving the target's bone structure parameter and the correlation of the reference's bone structure parameter, and calculating the fracture load of the target.
22. The system according to claim 21 further comprising means for storing the correlation of the reference's bone structure parameter and the reference's fracture load.
23. The system according to claim 22 , wherein the means for storing is configured to receive clinical risk factors of the reference.