Weight-bearing Computed Tomography of the Foot and Ankle
Cone beam computed tomography (CT) was introduced in the 1990s, and it was initially utilized in the dental arena. However, since 2011, these machines have been used in the foot and ankle orthopedic setting. Several studies have demonstrated how cone beam computed tomography can provide weight-bearing images (hence, weight-bearing CT) with slices and reconstructed three-dimensional (3D) models similar to traditional CT scans but acquired during physiological stance with markedly lower radiation exposure. This has allowed to overcome biases that are inherently related to two-dimensional radiographs and to test new 3D biometrics for the assessment of foot alignment. Fully automatic 3D measurements, bone segmentation, distance mapping, and modeling for custom-made implants represent the mainstays of the ongoing research on this new technology in foot and ankle surgery.
