A computational method for the investigation of burn scars topology based on 3D optical scan.

Burn scar treatment is a difficult subject to address since the improper therapy can have a significant impact on people's quality of life. The evaluation of medical therapy over time should be based on objective measurement of the severity of burn scars and their progression. Unfortunately, most clinical assessments of scars are still reliant on physicians' subjective exams of patients. A profitable method to overcome the limitations of subjective assessment could be to leverage 3D scanning technologies. These could be used to retrieve the surface topology of burns. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to provide an objective approach for analysing the surface topology of burn scars using 3D scanning and roughness-based evaluation. In particular, two types of ISO-compliant profile and surface filters (Gaussian and Wavelet) derived from the analysis of roughness in the mechanical sector are implemented to discriminate form from roughness of scars. Once retrieved, the roughness surface is processed to derive a set of statistical parameters describing the scar surface topology. Three case studies were used to derive these parameters (a synthetic surface, an ostrich-skin surface and a set of scars). After the surface's roughness was determined, a comparison between healthy and unhealthy skin could be established. The devised methods prove their effectiveness in correctly retrieving the main surface characteristics of a burn scar. Therefore, by using the proposed method it will be possible to evaluate the effectiveness of medical therapy by comparing the healthy and scarred skin of a single subject.

Towards the Development of a Device for Assessing the Pliability of Burn Scars.

Burn injuries requires post-accident medical treatment. However, the treatment of burns does not end with first aid because scarred skin must be managed for many years, and in some circumstances, for life. The methods used to evaluate the state of a burn scar based, for instance, on Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale or similar ones, often lacks in univocally assessing the scarred skin's state of health. As a result, the primary aim of this research is to design and build a prototype that can support the doctor during scar assessment, and eventually therapy, by providing objective information on the state of the lesion, particularly the value of skin pliability. The developed tool is based on the depressomassage treatment probe named LPG, currently used to treat burn scars in a number of hospitals. It consists of a non-invasive massage technique using a mechanical device to suction and mobilize scar tissue and is used as a post-operative treatment to speed up the healing process to make the mark of the scar less visible. The prototype is specifically designed to be manufactured using Additive Manufacturing and was validated comparing its performances against the ones of a certified instrument (i.e., the Romer Absolute ARM with RS1 probe). Validation was carried out by designing and developing a tool to put the RS1 probe in the same measurement conditions of the new prototype probe. Tests performed to assess the performance of the devised prototype show that the probe developed in this work is able to provide measurements with a sufficient degree of accuracy (maximum error ±0.1 mm) to be adopted for a reliable estimation of the pliability value in a hospital environment.