Abstract
The aim of this study was to quantify and visualize the degenerative patterns of the talus in ankle osteoarthritis (OA). The differences in talar morphology between sides of patients with unilateral varus ankle OA (medial talar tilt > 4°) were compared. Computed tomography images of both feet of 35 patients (OA: 22 patients, control: 13 patients) were analyzed. Each surface model of the right and left tali was registered to the opposite talus via a mirror-image technique and an iterative closest point algorithm. The surface deviation between the two models was quantified and visualized by deviation color maps. The results quantitatively demonstrated that osteophytes are generated in the area under the antero-medial margin of the trochlea in OA tali. In severe OA tali, bone resorption of more than 2 mm in the medial portion of the trochlea, as well as a similar degree of osteophyte formation on the lateral surface, was also seen. Stereotypical patterns of degeneration occurring in OA tali were successfully visualized and quantified by left-right comparison of patients with unilateral ankle OA. Such information would contribute to better understanding of the development of ankle OA and preoperative planning of total ankle arthroplasty and arthrodesis.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to quantify and visualize the degenerative patterns of the talus in ankle osteoarthritis (OA)
Morphological assessment of ankle OA based on a two-dimensional radiograph is generally difficult due to the fact that the talus is overlapped with the tibia, fibula, navicular, and calcaneus; the talar bony degeneration is not clearly visible on a plain radiograph
The present study investigated the left-right differences in talar morphology of patients with unilateral varus ankle OA based on computed tomography (CT) imaging, with the aim of extracting the pattern of bony degeneration of the talus in patients with ankle OA
Summary
The aim of this study was to quantify and visualize the degenerative patterns of the talus in ankle osteoarthritis (OA). Stereotypical patterns of degeneration occurring in OA tali were successfully visualized and quantified by left-right comparison of patients with unilateral ankle OA. Such information would contribute to better understanding of the development of ankle OA and preoperative planning of total ankle arthroplasty and arthrodesis. Quantitative understanding of the three-dimensional degeneration of the talus in patients with ankle OA is important for foot and ankle orthopedic surgeons for correct preoperative planning and achieving successful clinical outcomes of total ankle arthroplasty[8] and arthrodesis[9]
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