AB167. SOH24AB_251. Digital reconstruction of the hand nervous supply from the Visible Korean Project slices

Background: Visual reconstructions provide a malleable, interactive tool for teaching, understanding, and planning. We aim to use digital sculpting tools and images from the Visible Korean Project (VKP) to three-dimensionally reconstruct the nerves of the hand. To three-dimensionally reconstruct the bones of the hand to act as anatomical reference points for the nerves.

Methods: The VKP dataset was analysed using Horos digital software. The JPGs were converted to DICOMs, and regions of interest (ROIs) were isolated from each 0.3 mm cross-section slice. Three-dimensional reconstructions were created by stacking each individual isolated slice. Cinema 4D was used to create the final rendering of these images.

Results: The result is a reconstruction of the left-hand nerves extending into the digits. The outermost border of the skin, as well as the long bones, metacarpal lad and phalanges were also isolated and three-dimensionally reconstructed to give context to the location of the nerves.

Conclusions: The high degree of spatial resolution afforded by the thin slices from the VKP combined with the digital sculpting provides a detailed insight into the anatomy of the innervation of the forearm and shows the nervous distribution to the palm, extending to the digits. Here, we begin to create a potential resource for students, anatomists and surgeons. Further studies will look at nerve dimensions along the entire course of the upper extremity to provide reference values. We also hope to expand the detail of this study by encompassing both cadaver studies and using artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced resolution techniques. The major limitation of this study is the level of resolution afforded by the datasets and the slicing techniques, which is suboptimal in preserving the smaller nerve branches.

Keywords: Nerves; hand; anatomy; Visible Human Project; DICOM