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Pectus Carinatum: a non-invasive and objective measurement of severity

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Abstract

To date, standard methods for assessing the severity of chest wall deformities are mostly linked to X-ray and CT scans. However, the use of radiations limits their use when there is a need to monitor the development of the pathology over time. This is particularly important when dealing with patients suffering from Pectus Carinatum, whose treatment mainly requires the use of corrective braces and a systematic supervision. In recent years, the assessment of severity of chest deformities by means of radiation-free devices became increasingly popular but not yet adopted as standard clinical practice. The present study aims to define an objective measure by defining a severity index (named External Pectus Carinatum Index) used to monitor the course of the disease during treatment. Computed on the optical acquisition of the patients’ chest by means of an appositely devised, fast and easy-to-use, body scanner, the proposed index has been validated on a sample composed of a control group and a group of Pectus Carinatum patients. The index proved to be reliable and accurate in the characterization of the pathology, enabling the definition of a threshold that allows to distinguish the cases of patients with PC from those of healthy subjects.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to express our utmost gratitude to Federico Tinti for his invaluable help with the whole process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, Via di Santa Marta 3, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Michaela Servi, Francesco Buonamici, Rocco Furferi, Lapo Governi, Francesca Uccheddu & Yary Volpe

  2. Children’s Hospital A. Meyer of Florence, Viale Gaetano Pieraccini, 24, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Stella Leng, Flavio Facchini, Marco Ghionzoli & Antonio Messineo

Authors
  1. Michaela Servi
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  2. Francesco Buonamici
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  3. Rocco Furferi
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  4. Lapo Governi
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  5. Francesca Uccheddu
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  6. Yary Volpe
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  7. Stella Leng
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  8. Flavio Facchini
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  9. Marco Ghionzoli
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  10. Antonio Messineo
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Correspondence to Michaela Servi.

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Servi, M., Buonamici, F., Furferi, R. et al. Pectus Carinatum: a non-invasive and objective measurement of severity. Med Biol Eng Comput 57, 1727–1735 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-019-01993-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-019-01993-0

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