SpineData

Overview

SpineData is the main data type used by the Spine plugin. It collects a set of anatomical structures (vertebrae) and may include a Sacrum and an Ilium. Each vertebra is represented as an OrientedVertebra with per-structure geometry and annotations.

Note

SpineData is a specialized form of an Anatomy AnatomicalStructureCollection (ASC). Where relevant, generic ASC tools (e.g., ASC Registration, Projection) also apply to SpineData.

Contents

  • Vertebrae: collection of OrientedVertebra instances.

  • Optional: one Sacrum and one Ilium.

  • Optional: intervertebral discs if the workflow includes the disc segmentation.

  • Properties container for general metadata associated with the SpineData.

SpineData (and each OrientedVertebra) exposes standard data containers which can be accessed via their keys in the AnatomicalStructure interface. Typically they include:

  • Images (volumetric images, e.g., segmentation predictions or cropped regions)

  • Meshes (vertebral surfaces)

  • Keypoints (e.g., vertebral body and pedicle coordinates)

  • Planes (e.g., end plates)

  • Point clouds (e.g., extracted landmarks)

  • Splines (e.g., centerline/association splines)

Note

  • Actual keys present depend on your workflow and models.

  • At the vertebra level, these containers hold per-vertebra data; at the spine level, containers can hold global artifacts (e.g., context predictions).

  • Vertebrae can be sorted in multiple ways; workflows may choose a strategy based on data properties.

Save and load

  • Standalone: save/load as .imf using standard file I/O.

  • Algorithm state: the Spine Base Algorithm can save/load its state (including the current SpineData and derived artifacts). Loading a state created from different input data may be rejected; loading without a current image is supported when the state encapsulates the data.

Template usage

  • A ready-to-use template SpineData is provided by the plugin resources.

  • Use “Load Spine Template” to insert the template, then select subject and template SpineData as needed for registration or label transfer.