Usha Sinha1, John Hodgson2, Shantanu Sinha2
1Physics, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA, USA; 2Radiology, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
The soleus muscle of the calf has a complex architecture with implications for its function. We have used diffusion tensor imaging to map and visualize the muscle fibers as the orientation of the leading eigenvector. DTI helps visualize the anterior and posterior compartments including the bipennate arrangement in the anterior soleus; and possibly the marginal soleus as well. There was qualitative agreement with DTI derived fiber directions to that reported from a 3D model and from the Visible Human data. Large changes in fiber direction in the anterior compartment were seen with plantarflexion.