Automatic Low-Cost Tool for Head 3D Modelling and Cranial Deformation Analysis in Infants

Abstract

Cranial deformation is a problem that affects an important number of infants. It requires different treatments, varying from repositioning techniques to surgery depending on the leading cause. The evaluation of the deformation is usually carried out using simple but low-accuracy methodologies such as visual assessment and clinical measurements. Accurate methodologies such as radiological tests and combinations of cameras and scanner are available but they are invasive and/or costly. A patent-pending smartphone-based photogrammetric tool for the analysis of cranial deformation is presented. The methodology allows the generation of head three-dimensional (3D) models of infants automatically. It is non-invasive, low-cost and can be operated by users without any photogrammetric knowledge. The presented tool consists of a smartphone app, a coded cap that is fitted to the head of the infant and processing software that yields the 3D models. The data acquisition can be easily carried out during the routine clinical consultation. The patient is held by an adult while the application is used to obtain the data around the infant's head. The process is similar to a video recording, and the app guides the user during the process. The tool can tolerate the patient's movement so no immobilization or sedation is required. The whole data acquisition process can be completed in a couple of minutes. After the acquisition stage, the data is processed to obtain a 3D model of the patient's head. The accuracy and repeatability of the process have been tested under ideal conditions. The obtained accuracy was found to be better than 1 mm. The methodology has also been tested in real conditions obtaining models useful for the evaluation of different types of cranial deformation. The tool can be easily implemented in clinical routine. It requires minimum resources and provides a significant improvement of the techniques currently used for cranial deformation assessment.

Low-Cost Method for 3D Body Measurement Based on Photogrammetry Using Smartphone

“…The authors of [24] describe a patent-pending smartphone-based photogrammetric method for analyzing cranial deformation. The technology enables the automatic creation of newborn head three-dimensional (3D) models.…”

Feedback Mechanisms of an iOS App to Record RGBD Data for AI-Based Diagnosis and Monitoring of Infant Head Deformation

“…al. [15] propose a technique for creating a 3D model of a head by using a cap coded with markers that serve as reference points to the capture device. This technique is also used in the app of this work.…”