Patient-Specific Diagnosis and Visualization of Bone Micro-Structures

Bone is a hierarchical bio-material whose architecture differs at each level of hierarchy and whose mechanical properties can vary considerably, even on the same specimen, due to bone heterogeneity. Because of their complexity and large number of details, these models are considered to be large-scale models. Modeling, visualization and diagnosis of such models is challenging, since a large amount of data must be processed rapidly. Moreover, if physically based modeling is required, material properties are also included in the computational model in addition to geometrical data, making the task more difficult. Therefore, advanced technology and computational methods are required for efficient, reliable and robust visualization and diagnosis. In this chapter we describe state-of-the-art technologies and methods that facilitate the processing of bone structure at the micro-scale. Specifically, we relate to computational methods that enable structural analysis of this highly detailed structure for medical diagnosis.