Quantitative comparison between the laser scanner three-dimensional method and the circumferential method for evaluation of arm volume in patients with lymphedema.

OBJECTIVE

Several methods are used to evaluate arm volumes. The most commonly used methods are water displacement and the circumferential method (CM), but these techniques have some limitation in application in clinical settings and accuracy. Recently, the laser scanner three-dimensional (LS3D) method was successfully proposed as a valid method for volume measurements of the upper limb in healthy individuals. The aim of the study was to compare, in terms of intraobserver and interobserver reliability, the CM and LS3D method to measure the upper limb in a group of women with upper limb lymphedema.

METHODS

There were 200 women with upper limb lymphedema (mean age, 64 ± 9 years; body mass index, 24.72 ± 2.94 kg/m2) involved in this study. Arm measurements were obtained with both the CM and LS3D method. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare the CM and LS3D method.

RESULTS

Both the CM and LS3D method have a satisfactory level of agreement, but we found some statistically significant differences in terms of some measurements (both circumferential and volume measurements).

CONCLUSIONS

The data obtained in this study indicate that the LS3D method could represent a reliable, valid method to measure arm circumferences and volumes in arms with lymphedema, suitable for daily clinical use. It combines precision, reproducibility, and ease of use with the possibility of measuring geometric parameters and shape information of scanned limbs.