Open AccessCross‐Sectional Area Measurement Techniques of Soft Tissue: A Literature Review
Author(s) -
Ge Xiaojing,
Zhang Lei,
Xiang Gang,
Hu Yongcheng,
Lun Dengxing
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
orthopaedic surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1757-7861
pISSN - 1757-7853
DOI - 10.1111/os.12757
Subject(s) - soft tissue , laser scanning , biomedical engineering , micrometer , magnetic resonance imaging , scanner , materials science , laser , ultrasound , medical imaging , radiology , optics , medicine , physics
Evaluation of the biomechanical properties of soft tissues by measuring the stress–strain relationships has been the focus of numerous investigations. The accuracy of stress depends, in part, upon the determination of the cross‐sectional area (CSA). However, the complex geometry and pliability of soft tissues, especially ligaments and tendons, make it difficult to obtain accurate CSA, and the development of CSA measurement methods of soft tissues continues. Early attempts to determine the CSA of soft tissues include gravimetric method, geometric approximation technique, area micrometer method, and microtomy technique. Since 1990, a series of new methods have emerged, including medical imaging techniques (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound imaging (USI)), laser techniques (e.g. the laser micrometer method, the linear laser scanner (LLS) technique, and the laser reflection system (LRS) method), molding techniques, and three‐dimensional (3D) scanning techniques.