UCSQ Method Applied on 3D Photogrammetry: Non-Invasive Objective Differentiation Between Synostotic and Positional Plagiocephaly

Abstract

Objective Objective differentiation between unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS) and positional posterior plagiocephaly (PPP) based on 3D photogrammetry according to Utrecht Cranial Shape Quantificator (UCSQ). Design Retrospective study. Setting Primary craniofacial center. Patients, Participants Thirty-two unoperated patients (17 UCS; 15 PPP) (age < 1 year). Interventions Extraction of variables from sinusoid curves derived using UCSQ: asymmetry ratio forehead and occiput peak, ratio of gradient forehead and occiput peak, location forehead and occiput peak. Main Outcome Measure(s) Variables, derived using 3D photogrammetry, were analyzed for differentiation between UCS and PPP. Results Frontal peak was shifted to the right side of the head in left-sided UCS (mean x-value 207 [192-220]), and right-sided PPP (mean x-value 210 [200-216]), and to the left in right-sided UCS (mean x-value 161 [156-166]), and left-sided PPP (mean x-value 150 [144-154]). Occipital peak was significantly shifted to the right side of the head in left-sided PPP (mean x-value 338 [336-340]) and to the left in right-sided PPP (mean x-value 23 [14-32]). Mean x-value of occipital peak was 9 (354-30) in left- and 2 (350-12) in right-sided UCS. Calculated ratio of gradient of the frontal peak is, in combination with the calculated asymmetry ratio of the frontal peak, a distinctive finding. Conclusions UCSQ objectively captures shape of synostotic and positional plagiocephaly using 3D photogrammetry, we therefore developed a suitable method to objectively differentiate UCS from PPP using radiation-free methods.

3D Analysis of the Cranial and Facial Shape in Craniosynostosis Patients: A Systematic Review

“…Two publications use sinusoidal curves to show the contour of the cranial shape at an axial slice 53,54 . Based on the sinusoidal curves, patterns for types of craniosynostosis are distinguished.…”

Direct Anthropometry Overestimates Cranial Asymmetry—3D Digital Photography Proves to Be a Reliable Alternative

“…In addition to radiation, the need for the sedation of the infants would increase the risk for the examinee even further, again highlighting the insufficiency of CT as a primary diagnostic tool in this patient group. It should therefore be reserved for cases where synostosis could not be ruled out otherwise [11,16,21,32]. Consequently, a radiation-free alternative to CT was needed and found in 3D digital photography, as Mendonca et al could show that both methods produce interchangeable measurement results [31,32].…”

“…It should therefore be reserved for cases where synostosis could not be ruled out otherwise [11,16,21,32]. Consequently, a radiation-free alternative to CT was needed and found in 3D digital photography, as Mendonca et al could show that both methods produce interchangeable measurement results [31,32]. In performing their manual and digital measurements on mannequins and, therefore, equal standardized settings, Weinberg et al also confirmed that 3D digital photography is sufficiently concordant, accurate, and precise compared with CT, which makes it consequently suitable for clinical use [33].…”

“…A major advantage of 3D photography is the ability to acquire high-resolution surface data at relatively fast speeds (<400 milliseconds), which is particularly important when working with infants [29,[32][33][34][35]. It has even been shown that 3D digital photography allows for a single trained observer to repeatedly localize anthropometric landmarks from 3D captures with a very high precision [33].…”