Application of mathematical morphology to the extraction of craniofacial landmarks

An algorithm has been developed to extract craniofacial landmarks from skull X-rays. The locations of these landmarks are used by orthodontists in the diagnosis of anomalies and in the monitoring of treatments. The shape recognition algorithm is based on gray-scale mathematical morphology. A statistical approach was used to overcome subtle differences in skeletal topographies. Decomposition was used to desensitize the algorithm to size differences. A method for minimizing the search windows is presented. A system was trained to locate 20 landmarks. Preliminary tests on 30 X-rays showed a 80% recognition rate.<
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