Hip Joint Segmentation From Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Generate 3-Dimensional Models to Assess Femoroacetabular...

Accurate assessment of anatomic structures is essential for surgical planning. This is especially relevant for hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. Beyond standard radiographs, 3-dimensional (3D) imaging often is required for preoperative assessment. Although computed tomography provides quick results with exceptional visualization of bone, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) eliminates the exposure of ionizing radiation and provides superior soft-tissue visualization. This study demonstrates a reproducible process to generate high-quality 3D hip models from MRI using 3D Slicer to advance femoroacetabular impingement syndrome research and clinical decision-making. A 3-T MRI of the hip without contrast was imported into 3D Slicer, specifically focusing on T1 Vibe sequences. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine file was deidentified. Segmentation began by isolating the femur and pelvis along the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. A preliminary "coarse" segmentation was generated using the "Grow from Seeds" function, which is an automated region growth based on manual inputs. For precise segmentation, boundaries of the segmentation were refined. Once segmentation was complete, an initial 3D model was generated, which was then smoothed.