Imaging study of coronal structural matching of the distal radius in normal adults
Abstract Background As an important anatomical basis, coronal structural position matching of the distal radius has long been lacking in terms of a quantitative understanding, and such matching is correlated with the postoperative functional recovery of patients with distal radius fracture. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree of coronal structural matching of the distal radius in a normal population and to improve the detailed anatomical knowledge of the distal radius.Methods Thin-film CT images of the wrist joint in 80 normal adults were randomly selected, and detailed parameters were recorded. The reconstructed 3D data were analysed using 3-matic research software, and the coronal structural matching of the distal radius was studied from two aspects: 1) self-matching of the distal radius; and 2) matching between the distal radius and ulna (i.e., the joint space of the distal radioulnar joint). Specific research methods: 1) The relative position of the medial wall of the distal radius with respect to the lunate was determined as the percentage (%) of the vertical distance from the medial wall of the radius to the most prominent ulnar point of the lunate in the corresponding plane from the ulna to the radius. 2) A total of 9 sets of data were collected for evaluating the palmar lateral spacing, median spacing, and dorsal lateral spacing at the distal, middle, and proximal levels of the radius.Results Data of coronal bone structural matching of distal radius in 80 normal adults were obtained. The joint space of the radioulnar joint on the middle plane was 0.88 mm ± 0.59 mm. The structural compatibility of the distal radius itself, that is, matching of the axial line of the medial wall of the distal radius relative to the lunate, was 45.0%±16.2%. Conclusions There was no significant correlation between distal radius self-matching and matching of the distal radioulnar joint in the normal population. The degree of coronal self-matching of the distal radius was more accurate by 3D reconstruction than traditional X-ray measurement, and the normal range was 45.0±16.2%.