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Growth patterns and shape development of the paediatric mandible - A 3D statistical model
Eimear O' Sullivan1,2,3, Lara S van de Lande1,2,4,5, Khalid El Ghoul5
1UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Bone Reports
|April 11, 2022
Summary
A 3D morphable model of the pediatric mandible was created to study growth. The model effectively captures age-related changes, but shows minimal sex-based shape differences in young children.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Craniofacial Development
- Medical Imaging Analysis
Background:
- Understanding normal paediatric mandibular growth is crucial for diagnosing and treating craniofacial abnormalities.
- Existing methods for analyzing mandibular development may lack the precision to capture subtle shape variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a 3D morphable model of the paediatric mandible for analyzing shape development and growth patterns in children.
- To investigate age- and sex-related variations in mandibular morphology.
Main Methods:
- Collected computed tomography (CT) data from 242 healthy children (0-47 months).
- Segmented mandibles, annotated 52 landmarks, and processed meshes for consistent triangulation.
- Applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression to construct a 3D morphable model and analyze shape variations.
Main Results:
- A validated 3D morphable model of the paediatric mandible was successfully constructed.
- The first principal component and PLS mode strongly correlated with age, indicating significant size changes during growth.
- Minimal correlation was found between extracted shape modes and sex, suggesting limited sex-based shape differences in this age group.
Conclusions:
- The 3D morphable model provides insights into paediatric mandibular development and variation by age.
- This model can aid in understanding developmental disorders, improving diagnostic accuracy for craniofacial conditions, and assisting surgical planning.
