A Noninvasive 3D Body Scanner and Software Tool towards Analysis of Scoliosis

Abstract

Purpose. Children with neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy (CP), have a high risk of developing scoliosis during growth. The fast progression of scoliosis implies in several cases frequent clinical and X-ray examinations. We present an ionizing radiation-free, noncontacting method to estimate the trajectory of the vertebral column and to potentially facilitate medical diagnosis in cases where an X-ray examination is not indicated. Methods. A body scanner and corresponding analysis software tools have been developed to get 3D surface scans of patient torsos and to analyze their spinal curvatures. The trajectory of the vertebral column has been deduced from the body contours at different transverse sectional planes along the vertical torso axis. In order to verify the present methods, we have analyzed twenty-five torso contours, extracted from computer tomography (CT) images of patients who had a CT scan for other medical reasons, but incidentally also showed a scoliosis. The software tools therefore process data from the body scanner as well as X-ray or CT images. Results. The methods presented show good results in the estimations of the lateral deviation of the spine for mild and moderate scoliosis. The partial mismatch for severe cases is associated with a less accurate estimation of the rotation of the vertebrae around the vertical body axis in these cases. In addition, distinct torso contour shapes, in the transverse sections, have been characterized according to the severity of the scoliosis. Conclusion. The hardware and software tools are a first step towards an ionizing radiation-free analysis of progression of scoliosis. However, further improvements of the analysis methods and tests on a larger number of data sets with diverse types of scoliosis are necessary, before its introduction into clinical application as a supplementary tool to conventional examinations.

Model-Based Radiation-Free Assessment of Scoliosis: A Principle Validation Study

“…The current work analyses the trajectories of vertebral columns extracted from (1) X-ray images and (2) a combination of body scanner images and our vertebral column and rib cage models from patients with scoliosis. The method was developed to assess adolescent scoliosis and to reduce number of X-rays in follow-ups [10,11]. The present study included adult patients with neurogenic scoliosis due to Cerebral Palsy, where of course their growth had ended, but the patients suffered from stress-related back pain.…”

“…The 3D surface scan images of the above-mentioned patients were taken with a custom-designed body scanner, consisting of a camera system using infrared and RGB sensors, for the assessment of scoliosis [10]. The scanner system is dedicated especially for patients with cerebral palsy (CP), who are often affected by neurogenic scoliosis but also can be used for patients with idiopathic scoliosis.…”

“…The study presented here is based on the work of Roy et al [10][11][12] that reported about a camera system hereinafter referred to as a body scanner, which acquires a 3D image of the human torso for the assessment of scoliosis. It is also an attempt to find an assessment method that allows one to quantify the curvature similar to the Cobb angle without radiation exposure for the patients.…”

Obtaining patient torso geometry for the design of scoliosis braces. A study of the accuracy and repeatability of handheld 3D scanners

“…This is the first study to look at the accuracy and repeatability of using handheld scanners on the subject's torso rather than a stationary object, where breathing and movement can influence the acquired geometry. Other studies have scanned torso casts to produce 3D meshes for the clinical application of spinal deformity assessment [15][16][17] , but none have focused on its application to scoliosis brace design, and none have investigated their use for measuring anatomical landmark distances, which is particularly important for orthotists during the rectification process.…”

“…Nevertheless, these studies have focused on other body parts and therefore their accuracy results are not transferable to the torso geometry. Surface topography and 3D scanners have been used in patients for the assessment of torso asymmetry 15,16 and for the analysis of scoliosis progression as alternative non-invasive methods to X-ray examinations 17 . The reliability of torso measurements from 3D scans using surface topography has been previously studied 18 , however, the employed 3D scanning and reconstruction technologies were used to assess the torso shape, and the accuracy of the systems was not reported.…”