BIOMECHANICS OF FOOT/ANKLE INJURIES USING 3D IMAGING

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：本项目的总体目标 研究是应用先进的成像技术来开发 以患者特定的方式，定量了解关节如何 功能，以及它们如何受到软组织损伤的影响及其 手术治疗。中心假设是这种理解将导致 可靠、早期和改进的关节诊断和治疗程序 涉及软组织损伤的疾病。该提案的重点是 踝关节及其韧带损伤。具体目标是： (1) 研究与特定韧带相关的踝关节灵活性特征 受伤； (2) 确定踝关节处的相对内部骨骼运动 与韧带损伤相关的距下关节； (3) 培养压力 最适合显示骨位移的放射线照相和应力切片 MRI 与特定韧带损伤有关； (4) 客观评估 通过手术重建技术实现稳定治疗 韧带损伤。为了实现目标1，将建造一个特殊的机械装置 灵活性数据将从正常受伤和手术后收集 关节。为了实现目标 2，压力下的 MRI 成像方法、图像 将开发分割、3D 重建和 3D 分析。的 由此产生的针对具体伤害的内部位移数据将用于设计 简单、经济有效的方法，例如应力射线照相和应力切片 MRI，最能显示损伤的影响（目标 3）。此类数据将用于 根据术前和术前客观评估手术重建技术 术后扫描和测量（目标 4）。本次活动的预期成果 研究有两个方面：（1）简单、经济有效且特异性高的方法 诊断踝关节韧带损伤； （2）关于确切的新知识 由于以下原因，踝关节和距下关节发生位移 韧带损伤或其手术修复。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): The broad goal of this research is to apply advanced imaging techniques to develop, in a patient-specific manner, a quantitative understanding of how the joints function, and of how they are affected by soft-tissue injuries and by their surgical treatment. The central hypothesis is that this understanding will lead to reliable, early and improved diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for joint ailments involving soft-tissue injuries. The focus of this proposal is on the ankle joint and its ligament injuries. The Specific Aims are: (1) to investigate ankle flexibility characteristics associated with specific ligament injuries; (2) to determine relative internal bone movements at the ankle and subtalar joints associated with ligament injuries; (3) to develop stress radiography and stress slice MRI that are optimum to show bone displacements associated with specific ligament injuries; and (4) to objectively assess the stabilization achieved by surgical reconstruction techniques for treating ligament damage. To fulfill Aim 1, a special mechanical device will be built and flexibility data will be gathered from normal injured, and post-surgical joints. To fulfill Aim 2, methods of MRI imaging under stress, image segmentation, 3-D reconstruction, and 3-D analysis will be developed. The resulting injury-specific internal displacement data will be utilized to devise simple, cost-effective methods, such as stress radiography and stress slice MRI, that best show the effect of injury (Aim 3). Such data will be used to objectively assess surgical reconstruction techniques based on pre- and post-operative scans and measurements (Aim 4). The expected outcomes of this research are twofold: (1) simple, cost-effective and high specificity methods of diagnosing ankle ligament injuries; and (2) new knowledge about the exact displacements occurring at the ankle and subtalar joints as a result of ligament injuries or their surgical repair.