This anatomical plate was created in collaboration with Dr. Erin Gomez, Program Director of Diagnostic Radiology and Molecular Imaging Residencies at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Our objective in this anatomical plate was to show anatomical relationships of the pelvic floor while comparing rest, stress, and strain seen when conducting imaging for pelvic floor laxity tests. Radiology residents often see pathological, dysfunctional pelvic floors and do not have a visual reference of what a normal pelvic floor looks like during rest, stress, and strain. We included the pubococcygeal line (PCL), H line, M line, and anorectal angle in conjunction with the puborectalis muscle highlighted in purple. This shows how the H and M lines are drawn and how the anorectal angle changes during rest, stress, and strain.
Iterative Process
In collaboration with Dr. Erin Gomez, I advanced through multiple versions of this anatomical plate. First, I conducted a literature review. This literature review included viewing pelvic MRIs and creating helpful anatomical references using HOROS. Then I proposed sketches, where we discussed what information is most important to convey. The simple thumbnail I presented allowed us to make changes freely and dynamically.
These sketches were developed into clean lifework, then rendered. Text for the anatomical plate was refined multiple times. It was important to fit all of the text snugly around the illustrations and for that text to be both precise and concise.
The draft above contains more text than the final version. Simple colors were chosen to delineate the pubococcygeal line, M-line, H-line, and anorectal angle.
Later drafts included color an render progress. At this stage, graphic design stages were being refined to fit nicely with the color scheme and illustration arrangement. For example, the original yellow anorectal angle color coding ultimately blended in too much with the fat color and was difficult to see.
Creating Accessible Color Coding
An important aspect of creating educational anatomical materials is ensuring that content is legible to all. Color coding is a helpful didactic tool but is ineffective if not everyone can discern the differences in colors. I tested my color scheme using the Proof Colors feature in Adobe Photoshop to ensure that there was enough value and hue difference between my chosen graphic elements.
