Radiographic image analysis in the study of bone morphology.

Early changes in bone morphology, arising from such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, are difficult to detect and even more difficult to quantify when estimates are based upon visual examination of conventional radiographs. In this paper, we describe in detail the software operations of a computer-based image analysis system that will readily detect small changes in periarticular bone contours. Detailed studies have shown that the system compares favourably with clinical evaluations, and that the results so obtained are both reliable and reproducible.