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Types of subtalar joint facets

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Abstract

Articular facets of the clinical subtalar joint (CSTJ) were analyzed using a total of 118 (right 57, left 61) dry, paired calcanei and tali from 68 Korean adult cadavers. The CSTJ facets were classified into the following three types depending on their continuity: type A, all three facets are separated; type B, the anterior and middle facets are partially connected; and type C, the anterior and middle facets are fused to form a single facet. The continuity between the anterior and middle facets was represented by the degree of separation (DS), which ranged between 2.00 (type A) and 1.00 (type C). Type A was most common (39.0 %) in calcanei and rarest (11.0 %) in tali. Matching of calcaneus-talus pairs yielded five combined types: A–A (11.0 %), A–B (28.0 %), B–B (18.6 %), B–C (13.6 %), and C–C (28.8 %). The mean DS was slightly greater in calcanei (1.53) than in tali (1.32), and decreased in the order of types A–A, A–B, B–B, B–C, and C–C. The intersecting angles between the anterior and middle facets, which are related to the mobility of the CSTJ, were inversely related to the DS. These findings indicate that the anterior and middle facets are fused more frequently in tali than in calcanei, and combinations of different CSTJ facet types (A–B, B–C) exist over 40 % of feet. Our results indicate that types with a smaller DS (such as B–C and C–C) are relatively mobile but less stable compared to those with a greater DS (such as A–A and A–B).

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Acknowledgments

The authors are deeply grateful to the donors of the cadavers used in this study. We would also like to thank Mr. Young Chul Kim and Mr. Dae Seong Park for their expert technical support.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Anatomy, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju, Kangwon-Do, Republic of Korea

      Min-Ho Jung, Byoung Young Choi, Jin Suk Lee, Young Chul Yang & Byung Pil Cho

    2. Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Republic of Korea

      Byung Pil Cho

    3. Department and Research Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

      Ji Yong Lee

    4. Pocheon Public Health Center, Pocheon, Republic of Korea

      Chang Sung Han

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    1. Min-Ho Jung
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    Correspondence to Byung Pil Cho.

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    M. H. Jung and B. Y. Choi contributed equally as first authors.

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    Jung, MH., Choi, B.Y., Lee, J.Y. et al. Types of subtalar joint facets. Surg Radiol Anat 37, 629–638 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-015-1472-1

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