The Usefulness of a 3D Whole-Body Scanner for Uncommon Cosmetic Surgery Procedures - 17.009

D. B. Stefan and D. A. Gilbert, "The Usefulness of a 3D Whole-Body Scanner for Uncommon Cosmetic Surgery Procedures", in Proc. of 3DBODY.TECH 2017 - 8th Int. Conf. and Exh. on 3D Body Scanning and Processing Technologies, Montreal QC, Canada, 11-12 Oct. 2017, pp. 9-25, https://doi.org/10.15221/17.009.

Title:

The Usefulness of a 3D Whole-Body Scanner for Uncommon Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

Authors:

David B. STEFAN 1 , David A. GILBERT 2

1 Novaptus Systems Inc., Chesapeake VA, USA;
2 The Hague Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center, Norfolk VA, USA

Abstract:

Background
A 3D whole-body scanner appears to be best suited for measuring and documenting cosmetic surgical procedures that result in significant changes to the body. These procedures include breast augmentation, breast reduction and abdominoplasty. It is less useful for measuring changes resulting from procedures such as lipoplasty, which do not immediately result in pronounced changes of body contours. This paper presents examples of 3D whole-body scanning for less common cosmetic surgery procedures, and explores the usefulness of the 3D scanner as an aid for evaluating the pre-operative condition and as a tool for measuring and documenting post-operative changes of these surgeries.

Methods
A 3D whole-body scanner has been deployed for use in a cosmetic surgery practice in Norfolk, Virginia since 2002. Over the course of time, pre-operative and post-operative body scans from a wide range of cosmetic procedures have been collected. The 3D body scanner has shown its utility in capturing accurate whole-body models of subjects that underwent various surgical procedures. The scanner's measurement capabilities appear to be more effective for certain procedures and less useful for others. Case 1 examines circumferential pannulectomy. Case 2 examines a gluteal implant procedure. Case 3 examines a brachioplasty procedure. Case 4 examines chest contouring procedures.

Discussion
A general purpose, 3D whole-body scanner has certain limitations. It lacks definition for some regions of the body. This type of scanner is of little use for facial, hand or foot procedures, as these are outside the scanner's coverage area. In the case of a pannulectomy or gluteal implants, changes to the body are significant and the measurements are meaningful. The scanner provides less utility for procedures involving release of recessed body parts or removal of small growths. In these cases, pre-operative and post-operative measurements show little difference. The fixed position of the subject in the scan chamber limits the coverage for procedures related to the arms and neck. The 3D body scanner excels in coverage of the male chest region and is useful in chest contouring and gynecomastia procedures. The body scanner also has excellent coverage of the back side of the patient, including the buttocks region.

Summary
A 3D whole-body scanner has its place as a tool to document the pre-operative subject's body and measure overall dimensions. This has its own benefit as part of a 3D digital archive. In certain procedures, these body models and measurements can assist the surgeon in evaluating the subject's pre-operative body contours and act as an aid for planning the pending surgery. Post-operative measurements faithfully document the results of these surgeries. The 3D whole-body scanner is not as effective in measuring procedures that result in less pronounced changes to the body, such as lipoplasty, removal of small growths, or procedures that are beyond the coverage area of the scanner. A table at the end of this paper enumerates the type of cosmetic surgeries performed, and the surgeon's opinion as to the usefulness of the 3D scanner as an aid for pre-operative body contour evaluation or as a tool to measure and document post-operative surgical results.

Details:

Full paper: 17.009.pdf
Proceedings: 3DBODY.TECH 2017, 11-12 Oct. 2017, Montreal QC, Canada
Pages: 9-25
DOI: 10.15221/17.009

License/Copyright notice:

Proceedings: © Hometrica Consulting - Dr. Nicola D'Apuzzo, Switzerland, hometrica.ch.
Authors retain all rights to individual papers, which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The papers appearing in the proceedings reflect the author's opinions. Their inclusion in the proceedings does not necessary constitute endorsement by the editor or by the publisher.

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