The Bone Morphology of the World’s Largest Feet by 3D Axial Tomography

Pituitary gigantism is a rare endocrine disease characterized by unusually tall stature with rapid growth velocity that occurs before the closure of the epiphyseal growth plates due to excess growth hormone often as a result of a benign secreting pituitary tumor. Three Dimensional Axial Tomography were performed on the feet of a patient diagnosed with pituitary gigantism. His right and left foot measurements are 40.55 cm (1.33 feet) and 40.47 cm (1.32 feet) respectively. A 28-year-old Venezuelan man was diagnosed at age 10 with pituitary gigantism through physical exams, brain imaging and laboratory tests. He received medical treatment and did not undergo surgical removal of the pituitary tumor. A study of the osseous morphology of his oversized feet was performed using Three Dimensional Axial Tomography. The assessed parameters included foot length, truncated foot length, foot breadth, arch height, arch index inter-metatarsal and measurements of all bones of the foot. Early findings and treatment of foot pathologies are possible through the use of 3D Axial Tomography. As far as we know, this is the first report on bone morphology images of oversized feet (currently, the world’s largest feet among the living).

Key Words: Acromegaly, bone´s foot morphology, oversized foot, pituitary gigantism.