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A Novel Objective Approach to the External Measurement of Pectus Excavatum Severity by Means of an Optical Device
Francesca Uccheddu1, Marco Ghionzoli2, Yary Volpe1
1Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Insights
A new 3D optical scanner index accurately quantifies pectus excavatum severity externally. This non-invasive method shows promise for monitoring treatment and personalizing device usage in children.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Pediatric Surgery
Background:
- Current pectus excavatum severity quantification relies on internal measurements from cross-sectional imaging.
- A novel approach using a 3D optical scanner to assess the external chest surface is proposed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate a novel optical 3D correction index (CI3D) for quantifying pectus excavatum severity.
- To compare the CI3D with traditional methods and subjective clinical assessments.
Main Methods:
- A 3D optical scanner was used to evaluate 51 children (ages 2-17) with pectus excavatum.
- An automatic procedure generated the CI3D, with thresholds determined by statistical analysis.
- The CI3D was correlated with blind clinical assessments by pediatric specialists.
Main Results:
- The CI3D effectively discriminated between six degrees of pectus excavatum severity.
- Correlation analysis showed the CI3D outperformed traditional approaches when matched with subjective severity assessments.
Conclusions:
- The optical 3D index accurately correlates with subjective assessments for mild to severe pectus excavatum.
- This non-imaging, repeatable index is advantageous for monitoring nonoperative treatment and personalizing therapeutic devices.
Background:
Current approaches to quantifying the severity of pectus excavatum require internal measurements based on cross-sectional imaging. The aim of this study is to exploit a novel index evaluated on the external surface of the chest with a three-dimensional (3D) optical scanner.
Methods:
Fifty-one children (41 male, 10 female) between 2 and 17 years of age were evaluated with a 3D optical scanner. Pectus excavatum severity was calculated by using an ad hoc instant 3D scanner and defining an automatic procedure to generate an optical 3D correction index (CI3D). For the latter, an ideal threshold was derived from a statistical analysis, and five blind surveys were collected from pediatric specialists on chest wall deformities. The CI3D was then correlated with blind clinical assessments of PE severity.
Results:
The cutoff thresholds were determined to optimally discriminate between six degrees of severity of PE patients by a correlation analysis. The correlation coefficient obtained by matching the CI3D with the average subjective severity shows that the proposed method outperforms traditional approaches.
Conclusions:
The optical 3D index has a good match with the average subjective assessment in distinguishing patients with mild to severe PE. This innovative approach offers several advantages over existing indices, as it is repeatable and does not require cross-sectional imaging. The index might be particularly suitable for monitoring the efficacy of nonoperative treatment and, in the future, for designing an optimal personalized usage of therapeutic devices.
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