High-precision computer-assisted surface area estimation in large surface burn patients using ImageJ - A comparative...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Burn Management
• Computer-Assisted Surgery

Background:

• Traditional methods for estimating burn extent often lead to overestimations.
• Accurate assessment of total body surface area (TBSA) is crucial for effective burn treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ImageJ software for high-precision, computer-assisted estimation of large surface burns.
• To compare ImageJ's TBSA estimations with those from emergency physicians, plastic surgeons, and a smartphone application.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of burn registry data from Hannover Medical School (2018-2024).
• ImageJ software used for pixel-by-pixel TBSA estimation from photographic documentation.
• Comparison of ImageJ results against estimations by referring emergency doctors, consultant plastic surgeons, and the E-burn smartphone application.

Main Results:

• ImageJ yielded a mean TBSA of 36.81%, significantly lower than consultant plastic surgeons (41%) and emergency doctors (50.97%).
• No significant correlation was found between ImageJ and the E-burn smartphone application (mean TBSA 37.84%).
• ImageJ demonstrated statistically significant accuracy improvements over manual estimations by medical professionals.

Conclusions:

• ImageJ provides highly accurate TBSA estimations for large surface burns through precise, computer-assisted, pixel-by-pixel analysis.
• This method offers a more reliable alternative to existing techniques, reducing overestimation of burn area.