Anatomical fitting of a plate shape directly derived from a 3D statistical bone model of the tibia.

Introduction: Intra- and inter-population variations of bone morphology have made the process of designing an anatomically well-fitting fracture fixation plate challenging. Although statistical bone models have recently been used for analysing morphological variabilities, it is not known to what extent they would also provide the basis for the design of a new plate shape. This would be particularly valuable in the case where no existing plate shape is available to start the process of fit optimisation.

Production of high density molecular beams with wide velocity scanning.

We describe modifications of a pulsed rotating supersonic beam source that improve performance, particularly increasing the beam density and sharpening the pulse profiles. As well as providing the familiar virtues of a supersonic molecular beam (high intensity, narrowed velocity distribution, and drastic cooling of rotation and vibration), the rotating source enables scanning the translational velocity over a wide range. Thereby, beams of any atom or molecule available as a gas can be slowed or speeded.

Correction of step artefact associated with MRI scanning of long bones.

3D models of long bones are being utilised for a number of fields including orthopaedic implant design. Accurate reconstruction of 3D models is of utmost importance to design accurate implants to allow achieving a good alignment between two bone fragments. Thus for this purpose, CT scanners are employed to acquire accurate bone data exposing an individual to a high amount of ionising radiation.

Pulsed rotating supersonic source for merged molecular beams.

We describe a pulsed rotating supersonic beam source, evolved from an ancestral device [M. Gupta and D. Herschbach, J.

Quantification of the accuracy of MRI generated 3D models of long bones compared to CT generated 3D models.

Orthopaedic fracture fixation implants are increasingly being designed using accurate 3D models of long bones based on computer tomography (CT). Unlike CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not involve ionising radiation and is therefore a desirable alternative to CT. This study aims to quantify the accuracy of MRI-based 3D models compared to CT-based 3D models of long bones.