A significant rise in the number of infants being treated for abnormal head shape resulting from positional molding has been documented following the publication of the SIDS report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOCTM) Band is an orthosis which corrects these abnormal head shapes through the application of a mild dynamic pressure. Two limitations of this treatment are the traumatic technique of obtaining a 3D model of the infant s head (casting the head with plaster of paris), and the inaccurate method of validating the correction achieved (anthropometric measurement of landmarks with calipers). The development of a noncontact, structured light digitizer to record the 3D form of the infant s head represents an innovative application of maturing technology to replace the outdated casting and anthropometric techniques used. Recent advancements in technology and personal computers have made available the means to digitize an infant s head in a fraction of a second, to an accuracy of better than plus/minus 0.5 mm. A direct commercial application for this technology is identified, along with several other avenues of interest for this system in the fields of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, orthotics and prosthetics, and anthropometrics.
The research identified in this proposal will support the development of an optical digitizer for accurate, instantaneous 3D digitization of an infant's head. The system proposed will have direct commercial application in each licensed DOC center around the world. Additionally, the system has the potential to be used in surgical planning, preoperative and posoperative assessment of plastic, neuro, and craniofacial surgery, orthotics & prosthetic, and anthropometrics.
| Littlefield, Timothy R; Cherney, Jennifer C; Luisi, Jerry N et al. (2005) Comparison of plaster casting with three-dimensional cranial imaging. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 42:157-64 |
| Littlefield, Timothy R; Kelly, Kevin M; Cherney, Jennifer C et al. (2004) Development of a new three-dimensional cranial imaging system. J Craniofac Surg 15:175-81 |
