Anterior Thoracic Surface Topography
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Measuring the surface topography of the anterior thorax
IRAS ID
201469
Contact name
Adrian Gardner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Royal Orthopaedic NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The shape and appearance of the body is a source of interest and concern. Cosmetic procedures are performed regularly in the NHS for issues of shape, size and asymmetry in both children and adults. In most circumstances the need for surgery, the procedure carried out and the assessment of the effect of the surgery is ‘in the eye of the beholder’. Measurements can be performed to quantify the issue but in complex three dimensional shapes this can prove difficult.
This is especially true in the anterior thorax and chest. There is a patient group that has a clinical problem with the shape of their anterior thorax. This presents with such issues as a pectus deformity, either carinatum (pigeon chest) or excavatum (funnel chest), a difference in breast size where one breast is very small or does not develop and with rib prominences seen in scoliosis. Currently there exists no system which would be of use for measuring the thorax for the clinical issues listed.
Surface topography is a technique of ‘mapping’ the surface in three dimensions. It is a non radiation imaging technique and produces a three dimensional representation of the surface which can then be analysed and quantified.
A new system has been developed which allows the surface of the anterior thorax and chest to be captured and analysed. The system uses a photogrammetric method which does not require the use of ionising radiation. It captures a 3D point cloud representing the surface of interest. The anterior system has been developed using a tailor's dummy such that at the current time the surface of the chest can be analysed. This application is for the recruitment of human volunteers to allow the system to be developed into a useful clinical tool.
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/WM/0266
Date of REC Opinion
24 Aug 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion