A new system allows to measure the cranial deformation of babies from the mobile

Photomedas This is the name of a new non-invasive system that will help measure cranial deformation from newborns to 12-month-old babies.

It consists of a mobile application and a mesh hat and it has been developed by researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia together with specialists from La Fe Hospital. Its application implies important advantages for babies, such as the elimination of hard tests.

Important benefits for babies

Photo: Photomedas. Issued by the Polytechnic University of Valencia

Cranial deformation in babies is a common problem in pediatric consultations.

The most accurate medical imaging diagnostic methodologies are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But nevertheless, These radiological imaging technologies involve many discomforts and require the application of a dose of radiation to babies. Therefore, they are used only for severe cases, while milder cases are evaluated using less precise methodologies, such as calibrators or measuring tapes.

The main advantage of this new system developed in Spain would be to eliminate the need for CT or resonance, avoiding exposing the child to the radiation that these tests imply. The system has been patented, after four years of work and its latest results have been published in the 'Measurement magazine'.

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Professor José Luis Lerma, director of the Research Group in Photogrammetry and Laser Scanner (GIFLE), of the Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry of the UPV explains the advantages of the new system:

“Photomedas supposes zero discomfort and zero radiation in infants. It is a non-invasive, reliable and easy-to-use solution that offers 100% reliable results. ”

It combines traditional techniques of photogrammetry and 3D modeling, with the recording of a video of the skull of the infant, which is done with the mobile. Inés Barbero García, also a researcher of the GIFLE-UPV group, adds about its operation that:

“The hat incorporates a series of coded targets and what the app does is record the recorded image of each of those targets and save their coordinates. Then it processes all the data and generates the 3D image of the baby's skull. ”

In addition to the benefits for the baby himself, the information provided by the photogrammetric analysis is of great importance for the clinical study, since It helps to quantify objectively and very quickly and easily the degree of cranial deformity, plan the most appropriate treatment strategies and evaluate their own results.

“It is a system to help professionals; It offers pediatricians, neurosurgeons or orthopedists an exact 3D model of the baby's skull, which they can compare with other reference models. In addition, as it is a very easy-to-use, non-invasive system, it also helps to make a more exhaustive follow-up of the patient's evolution, in this case, the babies ”.

This is explained by José Luis Lerma, who worked in collaboration with Dr. Pablo Miranda, a pediatric neurosurgeon at the Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe and his team, for the development of Photomedas.

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