Measurement and analysis of calcaneus morphometric parameters from computed tomography images

This study presents a measurement of the morphology parameters on three-dimensional calcaneus and finds out their correlation with age and body mass index. We included 49 males and 50 females healthy calcaneus as subjects, aged 21-58 years. 3D model of calcaneus was reconstructed directly from computed tomography images by reverse engineering technique. Thirteen linear distances and four angular parameters were measured with two different tools, computer-assisted measurement, and digital vernier scale device. T-tests and Pearson correlation analysis were performed to evaluate parameters relationships. Statistical result presented that significant differences between male and female calcaneal morphologic value found except for β and α angles. LAL, CFH, MXB, DAFL, θ, β, and γ angles show a strong correlation. There was also a significant correlation between age with MAXL, CBL and g angle. The p-value in the comparison between computerassisted and manual measurement for each parameter was less than 0.05, indicating that computer-assisted measurement is an effective method for evaluating the calcaneus morphology parameters.