The Reliability and Validity of a Portable Three-Dimensional Scanning System to Measure Leg Volume.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Anthropometry
• Medical imaging

Background:

• Accurate human leg volume quantification is crucial for various applications.
• Traditional methods like water displacement have limitations.
• Portable 3D scanning offers a potential alternative for volumetric measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of a portable 3D scanning method for human leg volume measurement.
• To compare the 3D scanning method against the criterion standard of water displacement.
• To assess test-retest, intra-day, and inter-day reliability of the 3D scanning technique.

Main Methods:

• Fifteen healthy males participated in the study.
• Lower and upper leg volumes were measured using water displacement and two 3D scans.
• Measurements were repeated at baseline, 1-hour, and 24-hour intervals.
• Bland-Altman analysis and Pearson correlations were used to assess reliability and validity.

Main Results:

• The 3D scanning method demonstrated smaller systematic bias and narrower limits of agreement compared to water displacement.
• Test-retest, intra-day, and inter-day reliability showed very strong correlations (r ≥ 0.94).
• The 3D scanning method achieved ±1% and 3-5% limits of agreement for leg volumes.

Conclusions:

• The portable 3D scanning method is a reliable and valid tool for quantifying human leg volume.
• This technique provides a precise and reproducible alternative to traditional methods.
• 3D scanning has significant potential for applications in clinical and research settings.