Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Automated 3D bone mesh creation from CT scans for analysis
By Strack D et al.·2026·Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, United States·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: BoneMesh: An open-source 3D slicer framework for automated mesh generation and material mapping from CT to finite elements.
Plain-English summary
Researchers have developed a new software called BoneMesh that helps create detailed 3D models of bones from CT scans, which can be used to analyze bone strength and fracture risk. This software simplifies the complicated steps usually needed to prepare these models, making it easier and faster to get them ready for analysis. When tested against other popular software, BoneMesh performed just as well or even better in creating accurate models. This tool aims to reduce the time and mistakes that can happen when preparing these models, making it a valuable resource for both research and clinical use. Overall, BoneMesh is a promising advancement in the field of bone analysis.
Abstract
<h4>Background and objective</h4>Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a powerful computational technique used to assess bone strength and fracture risk based on patient-specific anatomical data. However, the widespread clinical and research adoption of this technique is often hindered by the complex and labor-intensive preprocessing steps required to convert clinical imaging data into analysis-ready finite element models, including segmentation, mesh generation, material property mapping, and solver-specific file formatting.<h4>Methods</h4>To address this bottleneck, we developed BoneMesh, an automated meshing and material-mapping software module integrated into the open-source 3D Slicer platform. BoneMesh streamlines the generation of high-quality, patient-specific tetrahedral meshes directly from CT-based bone segmentations and efficiently assigns bone mineral density values derived from the imaging data.<h4>Results</h4>We verified the performance of BoneMesh against established commercial and freeware software (Abaqus, Simpleware and Bonemat) using CT-scans and segmentations from frequently analyzed human bones (Femur, Tibia, Lumbar vertebra, and Thoracic vertebra), demonstrating similar or superior performance in achieving targeted mesh quality parameters, including mesh edge length accuracy, element shape factors, and aspect ratios.<h4>Conclusion</h4>BoneMesh significantly reduces manual intervention, preprocessing time, and the potential for human errors, thus offering an open-source, accessible, reliable, and efficient pipeline for advancing patient-specific finite element simulations in clinical research and potentially in routine clinical assessments.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41966796