Samuel Donnan Undergraduate Dissertation 2017/18

Modelling the Intergration of the Achilles Tendon with the Gastrocnemius Muscle

Supervised by P.Watton

Abstract

There are currently no 3d geometric models for representing aponeuroses regions along with the transitional region to muscle. Mechanical models exist for the interaction between muscle and aponeurosis under certain conditions and during particular movements, yet these can only give limited anatomical insights. Similarly, medical devices such as MRI and ultrasound can be used to determine structures of anatomical features, however these are generally expensive and require efficient software to perform labour intensive calculations that are slow to produce results.

This project aims to address the problem by creating an abstract software solution that can produce a patient-specific geometric model of the Achilles tendon that can easily be further adapted to model any type of aponeurosis. Structural analysis can be performed on this model by a finite element method to shed light on anatomical features including muscular relations to the tendon. The geometry can also be combined with a mechanical model to perform further analysis on the biomechanics of the individual patient.