Automatic Vertebral Column Extraction by Whole-Body Bone SPECT Scan

<table>The construction of a bone graph. If the region <svg height="7.9499998" id="M38" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 13.5375 7.9499998" width="13.5375" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M766 88q-40 -45 -83.5 -72.5t-63.5 -27.5q-39 0 -16 103l49 224q15 68 -10 68q-36 0 -112.5 -78.5t-105.5 -133.5q-27 -101 -38 -165q-35 -4 -77 -18l-6 6q42 153 70 288q12 55 10 78t-19 23q-38 0 -114 -80.5t-101 -131.5q-24 -68 -41 -165q-36 -3 -76 -18l-8 6
q56 202 87 347q7 33 -3 33q-8 0 -31.5 -17.5t-41.5 -35.5l-12 28q42 45 84 72t63 27q44 0 10 -124l-20 -75h2q92 121 193 178q36 21 64 21q62 0 28 -159l-8 -37h2q50 67 103.5 112t94.5 65q39 19 62 19q60 0 23 -156l-45 -189q-9 -39 2 -39q17 0 71 49z" id="x1D45A"></path></g>
</svg> in the plane <svg height="11.175" id="M39" style="vertical-align:-0.0pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 13.3125 11.175" width="13.3125" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,11.113)"><path d="M764 650l-7 -26q-61 -10 -91.5 -22.5t-76.5 -48.5l-235 -184q104 -152 208 -276q31 -37 54.5 -48.5t68.5 -16.5l-7 -28h-156q-138 170 -213 284q-19 29 -33.5 35t-33.5 -7l-29 -173q-15 -75 -5.5 -90.5t74.5 -20.5l-5 -28h-260l7 28q58 5 74 21.5t30 89.5l70 378
q12 68 2 83t-72 22l6 28h257l-7 -28q-62 -7 -76 -21.5t-27 -83.5l-32 -172q29 11 78 46q112 84 217 179q18 16 23.5 25.5t-1 14.5t-26.5 8l-30 4l5 28h249z" id="x1D43E"></path></g>
</svg> overlaps the region <svg height="7.9499998" id="M40" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 8.6625004 7.9499998" width="8.6625004" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M495 86q-46 -47 -87 -72.5t-63 -25.5q-43 0 -16 107l49 210q7 34 8 50.5t-3 21t-13 4.5q-35 0 -109.5 -72.5t-115.5 -140.5q-21 -75 -38 -159q-50 -10 -76 -21l-6 8l84 340q8 35 -4 35q-17 0 -67 -46l-15 26q44 44 85.5 70.5t64.5 26.5q35 0 10 -103l-24 -98h2
q42 56 97 103.5t96 71.5q46 26 74 26q9 0 16 -2.5t14 -11.5t9.5 -24.5t-1 -44t-13.5 -68.5q-30 -117 -47 -200q-4 -19 -3.5 -25t6.5 -6q21 0 70 48z" id="x1D45B"></path></g>
</svg> in the plane <svg height="11.175" id="M41" style="vertical-align:-0.0pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 9.8249998 11.175" width="9.8249998" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,11.113)"><path d="M559 163q-23 -66 -68 -163h-474l6 26q62 4 79.5 19.5t28.5 75.5l78 409q7 35 8.5 49t-8 25t-24 13t-51.5 5l5 28h266l-6 -28q-65 -5 -79.5 -18t-25.5 -74l-76 -406q-10 -57 14 -75q12 -13 96 -13q93 0 126 29q41 40 76 109z" id="x1D43F"></path></g>
</svg>, and then a downlink edge pointing from <svg height="7.9499998" id="M42" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 13.5375 7.9499998" width="13.5375" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M766 88q-40 -45 -83.5 -72.5t-63.5 -27.5q-39 0 -16 103l49 224q15 68 -10 68q-36 0 -112.5 -78.5t-105.5 -133.5q-27 -101 -38 -165q-35 -4 -77 -18l-6 6q42 153 70 288q12 55 10 78t-19 23q-38 0 -114 -80.5t-101 -131.5q-24 -68 -41 -165q-36 -3 -76 -18l-8 6
q56 202 87 347q7 33 -3 33q-8 0 -31.5 -17.5t-41.5 -35.5l-12 28q42 45 84 72t63 27q44 0 10 -124l-20 -75h2q92 121 193 178q36 21 64 21q62 0 28 -159l-8 -37h2q50 67 103.5 112t94.5 65q39 19 62 19q60 0 23 -156l-45 -189q-9 -39 2 -39q17 0 71 49z" id="x1D45A"></path></g>
</svg> to <svg height="7.9499998" id="M43" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 8.6625004 7.9499998" width="8.6625004" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M495 86q-46 -47 -87 -72.5t-63 -25.5q-43 0 -16 107l49 210q7 34 8 50.5t-3 21t-13 4.5q-35 0 -109.5 -72.5t-115.5 -140.5q-21 -75 -38 -159q-50 -10 -76 -21l-6 8l84 340q8 35 -4 35q-17 0 -67 -46l-15 26q44 44 85.5 70.5t64.5 26.5q35 0 10 -103l-24 -98h2
q42 56 97 103.5t96 71.5q46 26 74 26q9 0 16 -2.5t14 -11.5t9.5 -24.5t-1 -44t-13.5 -68.5q-30 -117 -47 -200q-4 -19 -3.5 -25t6.5 -6q21 0 70 48z" id="x1D45B"></path></g>
</svg> and an uplink edge from <svg height="7.9499998" id="M44" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 8.6625004 7.9499998" width="8.6625004" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M495 86q-46 -47 -87 -72.5t-63 -25.5q-43 0 -16 107l49 210q7 34 8 50.5t-3 21t-13 4.5q-35 0 -109.5 -72.5t-115.5 -140.5q-21 -75 -38 -159q-50 -10 -76 -21l-6 8l84 340q8 35 -4 35q-17 0 -67 -46l-15 26q44 44 85.5 70.5t64.5 26.5q35 0 10 -103l-24 -98h2
q42 56 97 103.5t96 71.5q46 26 74 26q9 0 16 -2.5t14 -11.5t9.5 -24.5t-1 -44t-13.5 -68.5q-30 -117 -47 -200q-4 -19 -3.5 -25t6.5 -6q21 0 70 48z" id="x1D45B"></path></g>
</svg> to <svg height="7.9499998" id="M45" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 13.5375 7.9499998" width="13.5375" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M766 88q-40 -45 -83.5 -72.5t-63.5 -27.5q-39 0 -16 103l49 224q15 68 -10 68q-36 0 -112.5 -78.5t-105.5 -133.5q-27 -101 -38 -165q-35 -4 -77 -18l-6 6q42 153 70 288q12 55 10 78t-19 23q-38 0 -114 -80.5t-101 -131.5q-24 -68 -41 -165q-36 -3 -76 -18l-8 6
q56 202 87 347q7 33 -3 33q-8 0 -31.5 -17.5t-41.5 -35.5l-12 28q42 45 84 72t63 27q44 0 10 -124l-20 -75h2q92 121 193 178q36 21 64 21q62 0 28 -159l-8 -37h2q50 67 103.5 112t94.5 65q39 19 62 19q60 0 23 -156l-45 -189q-9 -39 2 -39q17 0 71 49z" id="x1D45A"></path></g>
</svg> (uplink) are added.</table>

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

Automatic Vertebral Column Extraction by Whole-Body Bone SPECT Scan

Figure 3