Objective: This study aimed to explore a new method for measuring the length of the aorta in patients with severe kyphotic deformity.Methods: The computed tomography (CT) scan data of one patient with severe kyphotic deformity were retrospectively collected. The data were saved as Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format, and were imported into MIMICS software for processing. Then, the MASK function of the MIMICS software was used to mark the aorta in each slice of CT, and

more »

... three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction model of the aorta was established. After that, the length of the aorta was defined as the length of the centerline, which was calculated by the MIMICS. Besides, two points were fixed as anchor, and the length of aorta was acquired by measuring the distance between the two points. The proximal one was the origin of the left subclavian artery, and the fork was the distal of iliac artery. The length of the aorta was measured preoperatively and postoperatively as well. Results: The 3D reconstruction model of the aorta was successfully established. It was revealed that the length of aorta was 418.9 mm preoperatively, and 435.4 mm postoperatively. The patient also underwent pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO). After orthopedic surgery, the length of the aorta was stretched by 16.5 mm. Conclusion: In the present research, a 3D reconstruction model of the aorta was successfully established, and the length of the aorta was accurately measured without any invasive procedure. Using MIMICS software, the length of aorta in patients with severe kyphotic deformity could be effectively and precisely measured.