Computed measures on computed tomograms of the head.

Measures of average parietal bone mass (APBM) and average parietal skull width (APSW) were developed using automatic image processing techniques and a special polar coordinate system. The precision of the technique is about 2%; the measures are obtained by processing one section of a computed tomographic head scan obtained without special apparatus. In males the APBM does not decrease with age; in females it splits into two groups of age, probably based on postmenopausal changes. The APSW in both males and females increases slightly with age. The clinical utility of the measures is discussed.