Development of a patient-specific anatomical foot model from structured light scan data

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging and Computational Anatomy

Background:

• Finite element (FE) models of the human foot are crucial for research in orthotics, biomechanics, and surgical interventions.
• Current methods for creating patient-specific FE foot models are prohibitively expensive due to data acquisition (MRI/CT) and 3D reconstruction costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective method for generating patient-specific anatomical foot models.
• To reduce the financial barriers for clinical applications of FE foot models.

Main Methods:

• A novel morphing technique was employed, transferring detailed anatomy from a generic FE foot model to patient-specific surface geometry and landmarks.
• Patient data was acquired using inexpensive structured light scanning, bypassing costly MRI or CT scans.
• The generic model was initially developed from high-resolution CT or MRI data.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully generated patient-specific anatomical foot models at a significantly reduced cost.
• The average error for bone surfaces across six experiments was 2.53 mm.
• Model accuracy was highest in the mid-foot and lowest in the forefoot, likely due to the complex anatomy of the toes.

Conclusions:

• This technique offers a cost-effective solution for creating patient-specific FE foot models, potentially increasing their clinical use.
• Further validation is required to assess the acceptability of the achieved accuracy within specific clinical applications.