Soleus Muscle Variation within an Individual
Project
ID: 000662803
Public
Forty (n=40) soleus muscles, representing both left and right sides from twenty (n=20) formalin-embalmed cadavers (average age 78 years old; 10 males, 10 females) were dissected in-situ to analyze the distribution and orientation of the MTJs and MFJs within classified morphological variants. Anterior surfaces of morphological variants were visualized and reconstructed in three dimensions using a handheld blue light 3D scanner. Soleus muscles selected for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction were scanned with an Artec Space Spider and edited in Artec Studio 15 Professional. The muscle was suspended by the calcaneal tendon using a hook nail and placed on a hanging apparatus where it could freely spin during scanning. Each muscle was scanned four times: the entire muscle including anterior and posterior was scanned twice, and the anterior and posterior aspects alone were scanned once. The four separate scans were added to one project in Artec Studio 15 Professional to create a single textured mesh by following the processing guide produced by the manufacture15. Five morphological variations in the ABP of the soleus were found. These included: (1) Bipennate-Midline (n=25), (2) Bipennate-Medial Deviation (n=6), (3) Bipennate-Lateral Deviation (n=3), (4) Unipennate (n=3), and (5) Hypopennate (n=3) [Figure 1]. No ABP classified as multipennate were found.11 cadavers showed bilaterally consistent ABP classifications (55%), while the remaining nine displayed differing ABP morphologies between the left and right soleus muscles (45%). Examples of differing soleus muscles between individuals are displayed in this project.