Week 11: Quantifying Wound Volume

This week I finally had a breakthrough in how to quantify my data so that it's more accurate. MeshLab has a lot of features, including a way to assign number values to a model's geometry.

My first step was to go through the process that I had discussed in my post from week 9 to scale the model to real life measurements. I used an electronic ruler to find the length of the wound in millimeters then adjusted the models dimensions.

One challenge I faced was trying to find the area of the base. Since these are triangulated models, most of the selection tools captured a rectangular area. 

However, by using the paint tool, I was able to customize the face I wanted to select. I had to be incredibly careful not to color areas that were not in the base.

The computation tool was able to give me a good approximation of the area of the base, as well as the perimeter of the wound. The picture below shows the area used to calculate the base.

Next I used the measuring tape tool to calculate the depth of the wound. This step is shown in the image below.

My volume calculation came from multiplying the area of the base times the height. For this particular model, my approximation was 14,493.875 millimeters cubed. 

Week 10: The Final Product

Early on, I decided a paper was the best way to compile all the information I have learned throughout this project. I began work on the paper entitled "Development of phantom wound for laser scanning assessment in order to augment wound tracking" this week.

This gave me time to reflect on the results that I have currently.

The scans are clearly very good representations of the phantom wound models. They are similar in color and texture. Even small indentations caused by the silicon can be seen on the computer model.

It also presents the possibility of quantifying wound volume, which could lead to incredible advances in how doctors look at wounds.

However, I did notice one source of error on my results. Unfortunately, I was never able to tackle the glare that appeared on the scans. This causes a small amount of interference on the images as shown below. Exploring new sources of light could probably resolve the issue.

Other than that, I am pretty happy with the results I have and will start to brainstorm ways to present the findings to an audience. 

Qualitative Data in Science

As we near the end of senior project, I have been giving some thought into what I would like to present as the results of this research study. 

Due to time constraints, I was not able to scan wounds on actual patients. Instead of presenting the data on a large cluster of wounds, I have decided to take a qualitative approach to discussing the wound models and their digitization. 

Qualitative data includes anything that is not numerical in nature. There are three general types of qualitative data in science. 

In-depth interviews involve talking to a person or group. As is expected, their responses usually cannot be converted into numbers. Even setting a scale which appropriates a number to each response may not be feasible, since responses may vary and cause over-generalizations. 

Another type are written documents. While the content of the documents can be analyzed, they are similar to in-depth interviews. The results depend on the words in the document rather than any numerical values. 

The last type I'm going to talk about is direct observation. This depends on the experience of the experimenter through any of their senses. As such, the results that come out of this type of study can be very different. The data can range as anything from audio recordings to drawings.

The results for my project will be the wound models as well as pictures of their scans. This will allow me to compare the phantoms to the scans to judge how well they are represented. I can look at color, size, depth, and texture in order to address the viability of laser scanning to digitize a wound's morphology. 

Other Medical Applications of Laser Scanning

In an earlier post, I talked about the different types of laser scanners used in medical studies. This week, I looked into the multitude of ways laser scanners are being used to advance medical care.

Laser scanning has become an increasingly popular diagnostic tool. This is because it allows for noninvasive imaging of what is occurring in the body. 

One example is using laser-doppler vibrometery in the human ear. A laser-doppler vibrometer measures the vibration of a surface without contact. It can track the movement of the tympanic membrane of the ear in order to make sure that a person's hearing is fine, after an implant for example. An article about this can be found here. 

Other scientists have used a laser scanner with a camera and inserted it into blood vessels. This technique allows them to assess any cardiovascular risks such as strokes and heart attacks caused by plaque build-up in the veins or arteries. The design of the laser scanner is shown in the model below and the details of the experiment can be found here.

There are also specific laser scanners made solely for the purpose of fitting prosthetics. These can be used to design prosthetic and orthotic devices without putting a patient through the process of a plaster fitting, leading to increased convenience and comfort. 

Week 9: Scaling the Digital Representation of the Model

Last week, I pointed out the numbers MeshLab puts out with its measuring tool are purely arbitrary. This is because the file has no information on the original size of the object. 

After doing some research, I have discovered that there is a way to reorient the MeshLab scale to match real life. Essentially the numbers in the corner are meaningless until they are compared to real life units. 

Since I have been working with models this should be relatively easy to do. I will take measurements on the length and the width of the wound area. 

After I have these, I can divide the numbers by the computers arbitrary scale. This will produce a scale factor I can apply to the model. 

To put this into the program, I will go under filters --> normals, curvatures, and orientation --> transform: scale. By enabling uniform scaling, I will not have to worry about separating the scale into the three axes. 

The next problem I will tackle is trying to find a way to measure depth since it is hard to draw a line from the surface skin to the bottom of the wound. With all this information, I can calculate an approximation of the wound volume. 

Week 8: First Impressions of MeshLab

This week, I finally started to take a look at the MeshLab program. This blog post is going to catalog some of the first things I noticed.

One of the most striking things, that make it different from Artec Studio 11, is the fact that the files don't carry color information. This is how one of the wound models looked when I first uploaded it. 

 

The ring around the model allows me to rotate it in all directions. It is actually more versatile than the model on Artec Studio 11. 

Another nice thing about this program is the many options it offers. For example, I am able to add a 3D coordinate axis to the model, as shown below.

 

 Once I get more familiar with how to take measurements, I'm sure the axes will come in handy. 

I can also use the measuring tape tool to take an approximation of the wound length and width. However, this is not very useful when trying to assess depth since I can't draw an accurate line from the surface of the wound to the bottom. 

The two numbers in the left corner gave numerical values to the length of the yellow lines. However, these are arbitrary units used by the program. A scan of a door would be reduced to the same size as that of a mouse. One of the next things I have to do is convert these arbitrary units to real measurements. 

It has definitely been a challenge to navigate another new program. Next week, I'll look up some tutorials to figure out all the features MeshLab has to offer. 

HIPAA: A Guide to Patient Privacy

Privacy is an important right, especially for patients who don't need another thing to worry about. 

HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) was passed by Congress in 1996 to protect health insurance coverage for workers as well as ensure patient privacy. 

https://ora.georgetown.edu/irb/HIPAA

Anything on a patient's medical record or related to their insurance coverage cannot be disclosed. This includes any medical bills or descriptions of their condition. 

The protection is very inclusive. Healthcare providers are not even allowed to discuss any conversations about a patient's health or treatment. 

There is also some information secured by HIPAA that may not directly have to do with a patient's stay at the hospital. Addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and license plate numbers are all protected by HIPAA. A hospital may not give out any of these details. 

HIPAA also ensures that patients are able to access all the information they need. They may request copies of their health records as well as any notices explaining how they have been used and shared. 

When any information is needed by healthcare professionals for research, they must file papers to the IRB (Institutional Review Board). This makes sure that the rights and welfare of human subjects are safeguarded. 

Personalized Medicine is the Future

It is officially the final month of our senior projects.
To all the seniors out there, I hope you are happy with all the college acceptances that came out this week! 

For this post, I am going to be talking about the emerging field of personalized medicine. Also called precision and stratified medicine, this procedure tailors diagnosis and treatment to specific patients. 

Every person is different. Each patient has a unique set of genes and their expressions. Thus, it only makes sense that some diagnoses and treatments would vary. Personalized medicine takes into account takes the individuality of every patient.

In the words of former president Barack Obama, precision medicine promises "the right treatments at the right time, every time, to the right person." 

An example of this are the new advances in genomics. New technology allows us to sequence people's genes. This not only gives insight into human DNA, but also allows for diagnosis of hereditary diseases. For instance, a mutated BRCA1 gene usually leads to the develop of breast cancer in a patient. 

However, the genetic information itself is not what makes the difference, but the behavior following. If genetics predisposes someone to diabetes, they have to take action to avoid the disease early-on. 

This movement toward individualized medicine makes sense. Patients want to know they are getting the best care possible. This new treatment system ensures each patient is given the time and attention they need. 

Now to relate this to my project, I would argue that laser scanning a patient's wound is a form of personalized medicine.

Potentially, the physician would be given information on the wound dimensions and volume of each patient. Instead of applying the same treatment plan for every wound, doctor's would be able to make specific observations about what the best course of action is for each patient. 

See you next week!