Volume assessment of various wound attributes models using 3D skin surface imaging

In medical applications, 3D information of ulcer wounds are very crucial in measuring the volume of the ulcer cavity. Volume measurement is the most significant criterion in ulcer wound assessment as reduction in wound volume is an indicator of wound healing. Treatment efficacy can be improved and healing period can be shorten if changes in wound parameters are being observed regularly and accurately. 3D skin surface imaging technique is used to replace the conventional measuring method which is qualitative and subjective. Optical and laser scanners are used to obtain the surface scanned of the ulcer wound. Two algorithms for solid reconstruction and volume computation are being proposed, namely midpoint projection and convex hull approximation. Seventeen ulcer models with different wound attributes have been used to assess the suitability and reliability of the algorithms. Using ulcer models with known volume, it is found that midpoint projection is suitable for all the wound type whereas convex hull is suitable for all types of wounds except wounds with elevated base.