Development and Validation of a Novel Lymphedema Monitoring System Using a Bodysuit and a Smartphone: Prospective...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Accurate limb circumference measurement is crucial for lymphedema diagnosis and management.
• Manual tape measurements suffer from interobserver variability and low reproducibility.
• Advanced imaging techniques are precise but costly and impractical for routine use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy, repeatability, and time efficiency of a novel 3D measurement system.
• To compare the 3D system with manual tape measurements in lymphedema patients.
• To assess the system's utility for upper and lower limb lymphedema monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 26 lymphedema patients.
• Utilized a marker-based bodysuit (ZOZOSUIT2) and smartphone app to generate 3D limb models.
• Extracted circumference values at standardized points and compared with manual tape measurements.

Main Results:

• The 3D system demonstrated high reproducibility with median repeatability ranging from 2.2 to 6.4 mm.
• Mean absolute errors were within clinically acceptable ranges for most limb points.
• Measurement time was significantly shorter with the 3D system (88.2 seconds) compared to manual measurements (293.8 seconds).

Conclusions:

• The 3D bodysuit and smartphone system provides rapid, precise, and reproducible limb circumference assessment for lymphedema.
• The system is a practical and scalable solution for both clinical and home-based monitoring.
• It contributes to objective and standardized assessment of limb volume in lymphedema management.