3D reconstruction of the crural and thoracolumbar fasciae

3D reconstruction of the crural and thoracolumbar fasciae — The Fascia Guide

Key takeaways

01Crural fascia has three distinct sub-layers of collagen
02Fibers in adjacent layers are angled at about 78 degrees
03The thoracolumbar fascia's superficial layer is also multi-structured
04Nerve fibers are concentrated in specific fascial layers

3D modeling reveals the complex, multi-layered architecture of fascia in the lower leg and back, with fibers oriented in specific directions.

Abstract

To create computerized three-dimensional models of the crural fascia and of the superficial layer of the thoracolumbar fascia.MethodsSerial sections of these two fasciae, stained with Azan-Mallory, van Gieson and anti-S100 antibody stains, were recorded. The resulting images were merged (Image Zone 5.0 software) and aligned (MatLab Image Processing Toolkit). Color thresholding was applied to identify the structures of interest. 3D models were obtained with Tcl/Tk scripts and Paraview 3.2.1 software. From these models, the morphometric features of these fasciae were evaluated with ImageJ.ResultsIn the crural fascia, collagen fibers represent less than 20% of the total volume, arranged in three distinct sub-layers (mean thickness, 115 μm), separated by a layer of loose connective tissue (mean thickness, 43 μm). Inside a single sub-layer, all the fibers are parallel, whereas the angle between the fibers of adjacent layers is about 78°. Elastic fibers are less than 1%. Nervous fibers are mostly concentrated in the middle layer. The superficial layer of the thoracolumbar fascia is also formed of three thinner sub-layers, but only the superficial one is similar to the crural fascia sub-layers, the intermediate one is similar to a flat tendon, and the deep one is formed of loose connective tissue. Only the superficial sub-layer has rich innervation and a few elastic fibers.DiscussionComputerized three-dimensional models provide a detailed representation of the fascial structure, for better understanding of the interactions among the different components. This is a fundamental step in understanding the mechanical behavior of the fasciae and their role in pathology.

Cite this study

APA: L Benetazzo, A Bizzego, R De Caro, G Frigo, D Guidolin, & Carla Stecco (2010). 3D reconstruction of the crural and thoracolumbar fasciae. https://fasciaresearchdatabase.com/3d-reconstruction-of-the-crural-and-thoracolumbar-fasciae/
MLA: L Benetazzo, et al. "3D reconstruction of the crural and thoracolumbar fasciae." 2010, https://fasciaresearchdatabase.com/3d-reconstruction-of-the-crural-and-thoracolumbar-fasciae/.
Chicago: L Benetazzo et al. 2010. "3D reconstruction of the crural and thoracolumbar fasciae.". https://fasciaresearchdatabase.com/3d-reconstruction-of-the-crural-and-thoracolumbar-fasciae/