Abstract: Objective: To calculate the volume, surface area and morphometric index (MI) of condyle in normal population by Mimics 17.0, and to investigate the morphological characteristics at different positions, sex and age, so as to establish reference value of normal population. Methods: Three hundred subjects were enrolled in our study from the radiology department of The Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They were divided into three groups according to ages: group 1 (18-24), group 2 (25-34), and group 3 (35-44). Each group contains 100 subjects (50 males and 50 females). Then they were examined by MSCT. All images were reconstructed by Mimics. Results: The differences of condylar volume, surface area and MI between right and left sides were not significant. The condylar volume and surface area were greater in males than in females (P<0.05), while their MI showed no significant difference. We found no statistically significant difference in volume and surface area among three groups. However, the MI of group 1 was significantly lower than that of group 3 (P<0.05). Conclusion: Mimics can measure the volume and surface area of condyle effectively, and reference values of the condylar volume and surface area in normal population can be established.

Key words: Condyle, Volume , Surface, Morphometric index, Mimics software