Model for precise detection of bone edges

A mathematical model which is used to detect bone edges accurately is described in this thesis. This model is derived by assuming the X-ray source to be a square region. It is shown that for an ideal X-ray source (point source), the bone edge lies exactly at the location of maximum first derivative of the imaged object's transmission function. However, for the non-ideal case, it is shown that the bone edge does not lie at the maximum first derivative location. Also, it is shown that an offset can be calculated from the edge parameters. The Marr- Hildreth edge detector is used to detect the initial estimates for edge location. Precise estimates are obtained by using the facet model. The offset is then calculated and applied to these estimates.