Minimal Required Resolution to Capture the 3D Shape of the Human Back—A Practical Approach

Abstract

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder that causes abnormal spinal deformities. The early screening of children and adolescents is crucial to identify and prevent the further progression of AIS. In clinical examinations, scoliometers are often used to noninvasively estimate the primary Cobb angle, and optical 3D scanning systems have also emerged as alternative noninvasive approaches for this purpose. The recent advances in low-cost 3D scanners have led to their use in several studies to estimate the primary Cobb angle or even internal spinal alignment. However, none of these studies demonstrate whether such a low-cost scanner satisfies the minimal requirements for capturing the relevant deformities of the human back. To practically quantify the minimal required spatial resolution and camera resolution to capture the geometry and shape of the deformities of the human back, we used multiple 3D scanning methodologies and systems. The results from an evaluation of 30 captures of AIS patients and 76 captures of healthy subjects showed that the minimal required spatial resolution is between 2 mm and 5 mm, depending on the chosen error tolerance. Therefore, a minimal camera resolution of 640 × 480 pixels is recommended for use in future studies.

Method for Parametric Evaluation of 3-D Surface Imaging Systems for Applications With Moving Objects

“…During such medical examinations, patients perform various movements, e.g., bending forward or bending sideways. To capture the human back, a minimal spatial resolution of 2 mm is required [22], leading to a minimum desired accuracy ζ of 2 mm.…”

Extrinsic Calibration for a Modular 3D Scanning Quality Validation Platform with a 3D Checkerboard

“…The DMQV has been developed to investigate the minimum key parameters required to capture the human back shape [ 27 ], build models that allow spinal alignment to be estimated from back shape, and investigate correlations between back shape and spinal alignment.…”