Use of computed tomography in skeletal structure research

Abstract

Specific guidelines for the use of computed tomographic (CT) scanning in analyses of skeletal material are presented and discussed in relation to basic CT principles and empirical observations. Recommendations for scanning procedures, image display parameters, hard copy output, and relating CT numbers to mass densities are given. Experimental verification and standardization of scanning technique are stressed, with examples given from a study of modern (nonfossilized) primate long bones.