Image presentations for spinal kinematic analysis using digital videofluoroscopy

The investigation of spinal mechanics in injuries and other painful conditions is frustrated by the difficulty of measuring the kinematics between individual segments. Problems associated with current methods of measurement include the radiation dosage required, the limited accuracy obtainable and the inherent labour-intensive nature of the numerical procedures. The authors have developed a technique for overcoming these problems using digital image processing of spine motion sequences obtained from low-dose X-rays using an image intensifier. A study of the prospects for using various image processing algorithms to improve the accuracy of measurements of the kinematics of the spine from videofluoroscopic image sequences is described