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Morphologic analysis of the subtalar joint using statistical shape modeling
Author(s) -
Krähenbühl Nicola,
Lenz Amy L.,
Lisonbee Rich J.,
Peterson Andrew C.,
Atkins Penny R.,
Hintermann Beat,
Saltzman Charles L.,
Anderson Andrew E.,
Barg Alexej
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research®
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.24831
Subject(s) - subtalar joint , facet (psychology) , ankle , medicine , population , joint (building) , orthodontics , anatomy , architectural engineering , environmental health , personality , big five personality traits , engineering , psychology , social psychology
Weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT) enables visualization of the foot and ankle as patients stand under load. Clinical measurements of WBCT images are generally limited to two‐dimensions, which reduces the ability to quantify complex morphology of individual osseous structures as well as the alignment between two or more bones. The shape and orientation of the healthy/normal subtalar joint, in particular, is not well‐understood, which makes it very difficult to diagnose subtalar pathoanatomy. Herein, we employed statistical shape modeling to evaluate three‐dimensional (3D) shape variation, coverage, space, and congruency of the subtalar joint using WBCT data of 27 asymptomatic healthy individuals. The four most relevant findings were: (A) talar and calcaneal anatomical differences were found regarding the presence of (a) the talar posterior process, (b) calcaneal pitch, and (c) curvature of the calcaneal posterior facet; (B) the talar posterior facet articular surface area was significantly greater than the calcaneal posterior facet articular surface area; (C) the posterior facet varied in joint space distance, whereas the anteromedial facet was even; and (D) the posterior and anteromedial facet of the subtalar joint was consistently congruent. Despite considerable shape variation across the population, the posterior and anteromedial articular facets of the subtalar joint were consistently congruent. Results provide a detailed 3D analysis of the subtalar joint under a weightbearing condition in a healthy population which can be used for comparisons to pathological patient populations. The described SSM approach also shows promise for clinical evaluation of the subtalar joint from 3D surface reconstructions of WBCT images.