Fractal Dimension Analysis of Cervical Vertebra on Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Scans of Smoker Males

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to comparison of vertebral fractal dimension (FD) values among smoker and non-smoker males. Material and Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 144 male patients were evaluated, 72 smokers constituted the study group, while 72 non-smokers formed the healthy control group in this study. In all CBCT images, the region of interest (ROI) assessing the second cervical vertebra (C2) was chosen as a 45x45 pixel size for ROI-v with reference to the coronal view of C2. Results: While the mean FD value of ROI-v in the smoker group was 1.118±0.85, the mean FD value of ROI-v in the non-smoker group was 1.221±1.12. This difference between ROI-v values is also statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Fractal analysis of cervical vertebrae may help to evaluate osteoporotic changes in smoker males.