3D reconstruction of foot metatarsal bones of women using CT images

Abstract

Bone morphology is a fundamental factor in human anatomy. However, foot and ankle bones have yet to be adequately evaluated in 3-dimensional. It is essential to present the biometric data of anatomical structures. This study formed 3D models of the metatarsal bones of the feet of young women using image processing techniques to examine biometric measurements and determine morphology on these 3D models. This study investigated bone lengths in the metatarsal bones of women feet in Türkiye. A total of ten young female subjects were included as the test group to measure the lengths of their foot metatarsal bones using CT (Computed Tomography) scans, and 20 feet (left/right) were examined. The parameters that were used for the analyses were detector collimation of 64x0.5 mm, section thickness of 0.5 mm, current of 100 mA, tube voltage of 120 kVp, and pixel spacing of 512x512 pixels with a monochrome resolution providing 16-bit gray levels. CT images were processed, and a 3D metatarsal reconstruction was gathered. Then, the biometric measurements were calculated on this 3D model. For the lengths of the volunteers' right/left foot metatarsal bones, statistically significant differences were calculated using a one-sample t-test. For the female metatarsal bones of the left and right feet, statistically significant differences in length were calculated on 3D models. The mean results of the metatarsal length measurements were MT1(metatarsal): 59.52±1.42 mm, MT2: 70.45±1.82 mm, MT3: 66.25±1.82 mm, MT4: 65.12±1.81 mm and MT5: 63.63±1.81 mm. The level of statistical significance was accepted as p <0.05 for the one-sample t-test conducted for each metatarsal bone. The lengths of the right foot metatarsal bones were different from those of the left foot metatarsal bones in the sample. However, this difference was approximately one-tenth of a millimeter. The shortest bone was MT1, and the longest bone was MT2. These measurements are consistent with the anatomical information in the literature. The 3D models from the CT images and the biometric measurements of the metatarsal bones were found to be reliable and accurate.