Background: Edema development of the foot and ankle region should be evaluated by an objective measurement. We hypothesized, that 3D optical scanning of this region can serve as an alternative to clinically established measurement techniques.
Methods: Two investigators determined the volume by 3D optical scanning and the figure-of-eight method in a random order at 2 separate time points. Plots were created and ICCs were calculated for determination of reliability. The Pearson correlation coefficient served as a measure of the association between both measures.
Results: 40 healthy volunteers with mean age of 28.3±9.9 years underwent four sequences of measurements. The inter- and intraobserver reliability of both methods was excellent with high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 3,1). A strong correlation (r=0.96, P<0.001) between measured ankle volumes was noted.
Conclusion: 3D optical scanning turned out to be more reliable than the figure-of-eight method in a preclinical set-up. A clinical use should be aimed at.
Keywords: 3D optical scanner; Edema assessment; Figure-of-eight technique; Test reliability; Volume measurement.
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