Three-dimensional imaging: a novel, valid, and reliable technique for measuring wound surface area.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of a novel three-dimensional imaging technique using Artec MHT™ 3D Scanner for measuring the wound surface area.

METHODS

The validity was tested by measuring the surface area of 60 stickers (gold standard) on 20 volunteers. Stickers with standardized areas of 2590, 7875, and 15,540 mm2 were applied on the thorax, forearm, and thigh, respectively. For the reliability test, 58 burn wounds on 48 patients were assessed twice by two different observers with the Artec MHT™ 3D Scanner. Scanning, post-processing, and surface area measurements were performed by two clinicians.

RESULTS

The results for the validity analysis showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99 and coefficient of variation of the thorax, forearm, and thigh were 1.1%, 0.9%, and 0.6%, respectively. The reliability analysis showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99, a coefficient of variation of 6.3%, and limits of agreement between measurements of two observers were calculated at 0 ± 0.17 × mean surface area.

CONCLUSION

Three-dimensional imaging using the Artec MHT™ 3D Scanner is a valid and reliable method for measuring the wound surface area.