title: Three-dimensional determination of variability in colon anatomy: applications for numerical modeling of the intestine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Precise knowledge of variability in colonic anatomy is of great importance for numerical modeling studies of the abdomen. This knowledge would allow the creation of personalized models for the gastrointestinal tract used for surgical simulations or in studies of virtual trauma.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine the colonic configuration in the general population and define its variability by gender, age, and corpulence, the layout of the colon was determined via the following reference points: ileocecal junction, left and right colonic flexures, and colosigmoid junction (CSJ). Three-dimensional coordinates for each point were recorded on scanned sections of 100 healthy adults to examine the colonic layout under physiological conditions. Coordinates were repositioned in a new anatomical reference for comparison. The average points' coordinates, standard deviations, and distances between them were compared for each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The right colonic flexure was the most variable point. The CSJ was the least variable. Gender affected mainly the height of the colonic flexures and the length of its segments. Age affected the length of the transverse mesocolon root. Corpulence affected both the position of the ileocecal and CSJs and the length of the right colon. Differences in size and perivisceral fat distribution between groups explained these differences. Three-dimensional anatomical models of the colon were defined for each group by statistical equations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These equations, combined with data concerning the actual lengths of the colonic segments, enable reconstruction of different anatomical models of the colon that are representative according to gender, age, and corpulence.
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille University, LBA, 13916 Marseille, France. stephane_bourgouin@hotmail.fr
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bourgouin
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bège
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lalonde
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: Kathia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chaumoitre
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.forename: Stéphane Victor
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Berdah
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003106:Colon / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D023881:Colonography, Computed Tomographic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007080:Ileocecal Valve / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological