Magnetic resonance imaging technology in transtibial socket research: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate measurement of transtibial prosthetic sockets is challenging due to difficulties in establishing a reliable reference grid.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a potential solution for creating precise reference grids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using MRI to establish a reference grid for transtibial prosthetic socket analysis.
• To assess the reliability of MRI in the presence of materials commonly used in prosthetic casting, such as plaster of paris (POP) and silicone.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated the potential of MRI to create a reference grid for residual limb shape and volume analysis.
• Investigated potential MRI distortions, specifically "chemical shift," caused by POP and silicone materials.
• Explored object segmentation techniques to extract bone and skin structures from MRI scans.

Main Results:

• Experimental results demonstrated that POP and silicone materials do not distort or interfere with MRI scans.
• The object segmentation process successfully extracted bone and skin structures from the MRI data.
• Extracting the bone structure proved feasible for establishing a reference grid.

Conclusions:

• MRI is a reliable tool for establishing a reference grid for transtibial prosthetic socket analysis.
• The use of bone structure from MRI scans allows for accurate quantification of soft tissue volume and shape differences in residual limbs.
• MRI technology can overcome the challenges associated with creating accurate reference grids in prosthetic socket investigations.