Structured white light scanning of rabbit Achilles tendon

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Biomaterials Science
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Calculating stress under load requires material cross-sectional area (CSA).
• Soft tissue mechanical behavior is crucial for injury management, but measuring its CSA is difficult due to irregular geometry and deformation.
• Accurate CSA measurement is vital for understanding soft tissue function and injury.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a simple and accurate method for measuring the cross-sectional area (CSA) of soft tissues, specifically rabbit Achilles tendons.
• To utilize structured light scanning (SLS) to create 3D models for precise CSA determination.
• To validate the accuracy and repeatability of the SLS technique for soft tissue CSA measurement.

Main Methods:

• A structured light scanner (Artec Spider™) was integrated with a custom mechanical rig for 360-degree acquisition of rabbit Achilles tendon morphology.
• 3D models of six rabbit Achilles tendons were reconstructed from the acquired data.
• The accuracy and repeatability of the SLS method were validated by comparing measurements with calipers and micro-CT on objects of regular and complex shapes.

Main Results:

• The developed SLS technique achieved a coefficient of variation of less than 2% for tendon CSA measurements.
• The mean CSA of the rabbit Achilles tendons was measured at 9.9±1.0 mm², consistent with existing literature.
• Phantom scanning demonstrated results comparable to micro-CT, confirming the technique's accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a simple, accurate, and repeatable SLS-based method for measuring soft tissue CSA.
• This technique facilitates localized stress calculation, enhancing the understanding of soft tissue function, injury mechanisms, and rehabilitation.
• The method is applicable to various soft tissues, offering a valuable tool for biomechanical and clinical research.