@conference {1605,
	title = {Statistical shape modeling of the incudomalleolar complex using micro-CT and clinical cone-beam CT},
	year = {2015},
	month = {July},
	address = {Aalborg, Denmark},
	abstract = {Introduction: A large variation in material properties and geometry exists in the human temporal bone. These variations can affect hearing and middle ear sound transmission. Middle ear computer (finite element, FE) models are successfully used to predict sound transmission and its dependence on material properties. The model geometry, however, is mostly based on data of a single sample. Here we use statistical shape models (SSM) to characterize the natural anatomical variations present in the incudomalleolar (IM) complex of humans. SSM can later be used in FE models to study the effect of geometry on sound transmission, or parameters can be fitted to clinical CT data to obtain a patient-specific computer model.

Methods and Materials: In this study we combine data of high resolution micro-CT scans (uCT, 20 um resolution) of 6 human cadaveric temporal bones and clinical cone-beam CT scans (CBCT, 150 um resolution) of 100 patients. First, a dense correspondence between the uCT samples is obtained by pair-wise elasticity modulated registration of a reference sample to each of the remaining samples. A SSM is built from these corresponded scans using principal component analysis (PCA), describing the average shape and the main variations of the middle ear within the uCT population. Next this SSM is fitted to clinical CBCT data by elastic registration with the SSM as shape prior.

Results and conclusions: We will obtain an average geometrical model for malleus, incus and IM complex and characterize the deviations present in the patient population. We will do this by reporting natural variation of size and thickness of malleus head, neck and manubrium, the long and short process of the incus and relative angles in the IM complex.},
	author = {Joris Soons and Femke Danckaers and Toon Huysmans and Jan Sijbers and Jan W. Casselamn and Joris J. J. Dirckx}
}
