Graduation Year

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.B.E.

Degree Name

MS in Biomedical Engineering (M.S.B.E.)

Degree Granting Department

Chemical Engineering

Major Professor

William E. Lee, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Peter Simon, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Stephanie Carey, Ph.D.

Keywords

Ankle Joint, Osteoarthritis, Computerized Tomography (CT), Joint Geometry, Talar Dome

Abstract

Prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) is less common in the ankle compared to other joints; however, deformation brought on by degeneration causes pain, loss of function, and overall decreased quality of life. Current surgical interventions for end-stage ankle OA are not as reliable as surgical treatments for other joints. Ankle arthroplasty currently has high failure rates, and there are lack of substantial data from long-term outcome studies. By understanding the morphometric changes that occur during the different stages of OA, we are able to identify early signs of the disease with the intention to apply treatment earlier in order to preclude the need for end-stage surgical intervention. The goals of this study are to assess morphometric parameters of the talus as it relates to the progression of OA and to evaluate the effect of gender and anatomical side. A retrospective study was performed where data from sixty-eight CT scans were obtained from two study groups, one with OA and one without. The subjects were segmented, standardized, and normalized in order to study several 3D parameters of the talus, including height, radius of curvature, and volume. Results showed that talar morphometry is influenced by gender and that geometric changes are a function of OA progression. The lateral radii of subjects with OA was significantly larger than those of normal ankles (p<0.0001), and there is evidence of inherent changes between KL grades (p=0.0003). Identifying morphometric changes of the talus at each stage of OA can inherently contribute to better understanding the degenerative process. Assessing specific characteristics at earlier stages of the diseases may help clinicians to diagnose more accurately and to better provide treatment.

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