Validation of the Vectra H1 portable three-dimensional photogrammetry system for facial imaging

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging using stereophotogrammetry has become increasingly popular in clinical settings, offering advantages for surgical planning and outcome evaluation. The handheld Vectra H1 is a low-cost, highly portable system that offers several advantages over larger stationary cameras, but independent technical validation is currently lacking. In this study, 3D facial images of 26 adult participants were captured with the Vectra H1 system and the previously validated 3dMDface system. Using error magnitude statistics, 136 linear distances were compared between cameras. In addition, 3D facial surfaces from each system were registered, heat maps generated, and global root mean square (RMS) error calculated. The 136 distances were highly comparable across the two cameras, with an average technical error of measurement (TEM) value of 0.84mm (range 0.19-1.54mm). The average RMS value of the 26 surface-to-surface comparisons was 0.43mm (range 0.33-0.59mm). In each case, the vast majority of the facial surface differences were within a ±1mm threshold. Areas exceeding ±1mm were generally limited to facial regions containing hair or subject to facial microexpressions. These results indicate that 3D facial surface images acquired with the Vectra H1 system are sufficiently accurate for most clinical applications.

Validation of a low-cost laser scanner device for the assessment of three-dimensional facial anatomy in living subjects

“…On the other side, volumes gave a "poor" repeatability (TEM: 3.4 cm 3 ; rTEM: 13.8%). (Kau et al, 2004;Winberg et al, 2006;de Menezes et al, 2010;Joe et al, 2012;Hong et al, 2017;Camison et al, 2017).…”

“…3 Recently, novel portable stereophotogrammetric devices have been proposed on the market, with the advantage of being more economical than the static models and sharing a high reliability in assessing measurements (Camison et al, 2017). However, their cost remains in the order of several thousand euros, and represents the main limit for their wide diffusion in different research fields.…”

“…In conclusion, the low-cost laser scan device can be reliably applied to inanimate objects, but does not meet the standards for three-dimensional facial acquisition on living persons. Keywords: facial anatomy, low-cost laser scanner, stereophotogrammetry, RMS (root mean square) Winberg et al, 2006;de Menezes et al, 2010; Joe et al, 2012;Camison et al, 2017; Hong et al., 2017); however, although they reach a high reliability in assessment of different metrical measurements, they are affected by some limits, being the first of them the price. Although the technological improvement will lead to a decrease in costs in the future, the static 3D image acquisition devices still have a high price (Fan et al, 2017), which may not be afforded by all universities for research or by hospitals for diagnosis, treatment planning and followup.…”

Three‐dimensional facial morphology in Cantú syndrome

“…3D face images of individuals with CS were collected during special annual Cantú syndrome research clinics at the Utrecht University Medical Center, the Netherlands, and at Washington University, St. Louis, MO. The accuracy of such 3D imaging devices has been shown to be highly reliable (Aldridge, Boyadjiev, Capone, DeLeon, & Richtsmeier, ; Camison et al, ). Some images were unusable because of incomplete face coverage or poor subject cooperation.…”

Validation of two handheld devices against a non-portable three-dimensional surface scanner and assessment of potential use for intraoperative facial imaging

“…Rather than replacing one another, the combined use of different devices may add even more benefits when applied in a clinical setting. A recent publication on 3D Augmented Reality facial imaging 14 provided incentive for further research regarding the intraoperative use of 3DSI for documentation and decision-making.…”