Morphometry of talus - for an anatomically compatible prosthesis

Introduction: The talus is the tallest bone in the foot and also one of the bones that makes up the ankle joint. The treatment options available for Talar pathology are limited with unsatisfactory results affecting the quality of life. However, very little is reported in the literature about the morphology of the talus. A better understanding of ankle anatomy is essential for better design of ankle prosthesis, especially when aiming to restore the Normal Anatomy of the Ankle joint. Aim: This study was aimed at measuring various dimensions of Talus on Radiographs and its measurements can act as baseline data and help in designing better anatomically and functionally effective prosthesis. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on patients between the age group of 25 years to 50 years who were scheduled for anteroposterior and lateral plain ankle radiographs because of clinical hindfoot symptoms. All patients without radiological pathologies, fully able to load the foot were included in the study. In a sample size of 96 m easurements such as length, breadth, height and intermalleolar distance were noted down for 2 years in the Department of Radiology, K.M.C. Mangalore. Results: As observed in the study the right Tali exhibited greater measurements than the Left. Conclusions: An anatomical compatible prosthesis can be developed due to the baseline data available and keeping in mind that right Talus exhibited higher measurements than left, hence prosthetic design would vary for each side. Keywords: Talus, Prosthesis, Morphometry.