Hip Joint Ligaments, a Cadaver Imaging Study for Education

The stereoscopic morphology of the iliofemoral, pubofemoral, and ischiofemoral ligaments in hip joint is hard to understand, either in anatomy books or from cadaver dissection. To aid in understanding, three-dimensional models were built from the sectioned images of cadaver hip, which demonstrate fine components better than CTs and MRIs. In the female data of Visible Korean project, the ligaments and neighboring structures were recognized and outlined in detail. Successively, the outlines were stacked and reconstructed to manufacture their surface models by using the sophisticated computer method. The surface models were overlapped with the original sectioned images, which enhanced comprehension of the hip joint anatomy. With the surface models, hip joint was hyperextended to suggest the function of the ligaments. The graphic data of the surface reconstructed hip ligaments are expected to be the source of interactive simulators for anatomy and surgery of the hip joint.