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Shaping the future of cardiovascular medicine: advancing morphological atlases

heartjnl · 2025-10-29 · canonical JSON source

3 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Human anatomy consists of complex organs, each with a specific shape that supports its proper function. These shapes vary among individuals and change over time due to ageing, injury or disease. Statistical shape atlases use medical imaging techniques to model these shapes.1 The idea of statistical shape atlases comes from earlier methods of studying shapes, developed in the late twentieth century. These techniques, like Procrustes analysis, provided a way to measure and compare the shapes of organs across different individuals. By analysing how organ shapes differ in healthy and diseased states, researchers can better understand disease mechanisms and improve diagnosis and treatment strategies. For example, the left ventricle (LV) often shows shape changes when affected by conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. LV shape atlases may help to identify these variations, enhancing risk stratification and informing clinical decision-making. 2