Soft Tissue Thickness Measurements Research Articles

Measurement of soft tissue thickness on posterior palatal area by using computerized tomography in Korean population

Measurement of soft tissue thickness on posterior palatal area by using computerized tomography in Korean population

Accuracy of facial soft tissue thickness measurements in personal computer-based multiplanar reconstructed computed tomographic images

The purpose of this study was to determine the precision and accuracy of facial soft tissue measurement using personal computer (PC)-based multiplanar reconstructed (MPR) computed tomography (CT) images and to evaluate the effect of the various CT scanning protocols on the facial soft tissue thickness measurement. Thirteen different CT imaging protocols were used to image a cadaver head. MPR reformations and three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions viewed on a laptop PC were used to make measurements at six specific sites on each set of images. These measurements were compared to physical measurements at the same sites. Increasing the slice thickness resulted in decreased image quality. Within the same slice thickness, increasing the pitch ratio in the spiral mode, resulted in decreasing image quality. The image quality of conventional CT scanning was relatively poorer than that of the spiral CT scanning. However, the mean deviation from the physical measurement was within 0.43 mm in every instance. This mean deviation was quite small and clinically acceptable for measuring the soft tissue thickness of the facial area. PC-based MPR CT images of the face using routine scanning CT protocols can be used to accurately measure soft tissue thickness in the facial region. However, for more fine and accurate data collection, scanning protocols with slice thicknesses less than 5 mm, and a spiral/helical mode pitch less than 2:1 are recommended.

Facial soft tissue thickness in Japanese female children

Facial reconstruction techniques used in forensic anthropology are based on soft tissue thickness measurements. Many studies of facial tissue thickness in adults have been published that take racial background into account. However, the only data on facial thickness in children are derived from studies of American, British, and Hispanic children. The authors therefore measured facial tissue thickness in Japanese children, with the aim of providing data for producing accurate facial likenesses and to evaluate matching of skull-photo superimposition images. Cephalometric X-ray images give an approximately 10% enlargement from true size and can demonstrate the relationship between soft and hard tissue. Facial soft tissue thickness was measured at 12 anthropological points using X-ray cephalometry.

Plantar soft-tissue thickness predicts high peak plantar pressure in the diabetic foot.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether high plantar foot pressures can be predicted from measurements of plantar soft-tissue thickness in the forefoot of diabetic patients with neuropathy. A total of 157 diabetic patients with neuropathy and at least one palpable foot pulse but without a history of foot ulceration were invited to participate in the study. Plantar tissue thickness was measured bilaterally at each metatarsal head, with patients standing on the same standardized platform. Plantar pressures were measured during barefoot walking using the optical pedobarograph. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the plantar tissue thickness predictive of elevated peak plantar pressure. Tissue thickness cutoff values of 11.05, 7.85, 6.65, 6.55, and 5.05 mm for metatarsal heads 1 through 5, respectively, predict plantar pressure at each respective site greater than 700 kPa, with sensitivity between 73% and 97% and specificity between 52% and 84%. When tissue thickness was used to predict pressure greater than 1,000 kPa, similar results were observed, indicating that high pressure at different levels could be predicted from similar tissue thickness cutoff values. The results of the study indicate that high plantar pressure can be predicted from plantar tissue thickness with high sensitivity and specificity.

Radiographic measurement of prevertebral soft tissue thickness on lateral radiographs of the neck: Chen MYM, Bohrer SP. Skeletal Radiol 1999;28:444–446

Radiographic measurement of prevertebral soft tissue thickness on lateral radiographs of the neck: Chen MYM, Bohrer SP. Skeletal Radiol 1999;28:444–446

Radiographic measurement of prevertebral soft tissue thickness on lateral radiographs of the neck.

The prevertebral soft tissue measurement is commonly used for assessing prevertebral pathology such as abscesses or hematomas after injury. Very few references concerning the ratio of retrotracheal thickness to C5 diameter are available in the literature. The purpose of this study was to measure the normal soft tissue thickness at the C5 level of the neck and to establish the normal ratio of retrotracheal soft tissue thickness to the diameter of C5 for daily use. We measured soft tissue thickness in the neck of 54 normal subjects and calculated the mean and standard deviation. Using mean plus one standard deviation the maximum retrocricoid soft tissue thickness was 0.7xC5 diameter and maximum retrotracheal thickness was 1.0xC5 diameter. Soft tissue thickness that exceeds this limit must be studied further for signs of potential disease.

Plantar soft tissue thickness during ground contact in walking

A technique is introduced for the measurement of plantar soft tissue thickness during barefoot walking. Subjects stepped into an adjustable Plexiglas frame which ensured that the required bony landmarks were appropriately positioned relative to a linear ultrasound probe connected to a conventional 7.5 MHz ultrasound scanner. Clear images of the metatarsal condyles or other foot bones were obtained throughout ground contact. Subsequent analysis of the video taped images using a motion analysis system allowed the tissue displacement to be calculated as a function of time. The tissue underneath the second metatarsal head was shown to undergo an average maximum compression of 45.7% during the late stages of ground contact during first step gait in a group of five normal subjects with a mean unloaded tissue thickness of 15.2 mm. The technique has a number of applications, including use in the validation of deformation predicted by finite element models of the soft tissue of the foot, and the study of alterations in the cushioning properties of the heel by devices which constrain the displacement of the heel pad.

Magnification error of femoral geometry using fan beam densitometers.

Hip axis length (HAL) has been reported as an independent risk factor for hip fracture. DEXA machines using fan beam techniques have become increasingly available. Errors in calculated hip axis length may be expected because of different degrees of magnification by the fan beam. The magnitude of this error on measurement of hip geometry was studied, using an anthropomorphic femur phantom with both fan beam (Lunar Expert and Hologic QDR-2000) and pencil beam (Lunar DPXL) densitometers. The clinical relevance of these findings was also examined using patient measurements of buttock soft tissue thickness. Femoral neck axis length (FNAL), which correlates well with HAL, was used as a measurement of hip geometry. There was a linear increase or decrease of FNAL with increasing distance of the phantom above the scanning table, when measured with the Lunar Expert or Hologic QDR-2000, respectively. There was no significant difference in FNAL at different heights using the pencil beam densitometer. The maximal difference in buttock soft tissue thickness in 30 women studied was 8.7 cm. From the equations, derived from the phantom studies, this difference would result in an 8.2% (1.4 SD) increase, or an 11.4% (1.9 SD) decrease in FNAL in the largest woman as compared with the smallest woman when measured using the Lunar Expert or Hologic QDR-2000, respectively. We conclude that there may be unpredictable degrees of magnification of FNAL in vivo, caused by differences in buttock thickness, when measured using a fan beam densitometers. Until these problems are resolved. FNAL, or related parameters of femoral geometry, should be measured using pencil beam instruments.

Relationship of articular soft tissue contour and shape to the underlying eminence and slope profile in young adult temporomandibular joints

This study examined whether the overall shape of the articular soft tissue overlying the posterior slope and articular eminence of the temporal bone could be predicted by the underlying osseous contour in a histologic model of 51 central sagittal sections of young adult temporomandibular joints. Articular soft tissue and bone contours were traced, and osseous landmarks identified on the basis of joint geometry. Soft tissue thickness measurements were made under low power light microscopy. Seven categories of articular soft tissue pattern were identified. The soft tissue uniformly followed the osseous contour in only one (14%). A progressive increase in soft tissue thickness from the middle of the posterior slope to the articular crest was the most common pattern (35%) but did not describe most of the sample that was more asymmetric. Pattern was poorly perdicted by the shape and slope of the temporal bone outline or by dental factors that describe anterior guidance and did not relate to disk displacement. The articular soft tissue compensated for flatter eminence slopes and osseous irregularities and maintained an intact surface. This study has clinical implications for radiographic interpretation of disk space, condyle translation pathways, and the integrity of the functional articular surface.

Sonographic Measurement of Fetal Humeral Soft Tissue Thickness in Pregnancy Complicated by GDM

Sonographic measurement of fetal humeral soft tissue thickness (STT) was performed in 93 women with gestational diabetes mellitus during the third trimester. STT measurements revealed accelerated growth in large for gestational age infants at 31 wk gestation. This new measurement proved to be the most accurate predictor of excessive fetal size compared with other standard ultrasound parameters (sensitivity 82%, specificity 95%, positive predictive value 90%). Asymmetrical growth was more evident in infants with large STT measurements in utero. Humeral STT measurement may distinguish large fetuses with truncal obesity from those that are symmetrically large, thereby allowing prediction of risk for birth trauma before delivery.

Measurement of soft tissue thickness over the sacrum of elderly hospital patients using B-mode ultrasound

The thickness of soft tissues over the sacrum of elderly hospital in-patients has been measured using B-mode ultrasound. Forty patients were scanned, of which nine had recognizable superficial pressure sores at the sacrum. No correlation was found between the depth of soft tissue and either age or Norton score. Patients with sores had less soft tissue over the sacrum (p < 0.025). Excluding one patient whose sacral sore appeared to be the final stage of the healing process, the remaining eight all had less than 8.5 mm of sacral soft tissue cover. Five patients without sacral sores also had less than 8.5 mm of sacral soft tissue cover. However, a combination of the presence of incontinence and the depth of sacral soft tissue cover identified seven of the eight patients with sacral sores with no inclusion of patients without sores.

Ring Size Measurement of the Digits in Females Suffering from Generalized Scleroderma (Acrosclerosis)

Measurements of the ring size (circumference in millimeters) of the middle phalanx in 22 females suffering from generalized scleroderma (acrosclerosis) were carried out and compared to control measurements in 22 age-matched healthy females. The ring size was increased (p less than 0.01) in the patients (mean 52.8 mm; range 45-61) as compared to the controls (mean 49.4 mm; range 46-52). Ring size measurements correlated well (r = 0.71; p less than 0.001) with ultrasound measurement of soft tissue thickness over the middle phalanx. Ring size was larger (p less than 0.001) in a group of healthy men as compared to female controls. Ring size was not correlated to age in healthy females (r = 0.06; n.s.), whereas it was in 19 healthy men studied (r = 0.78; p less than 0.001). The normal range (mean +/- 2 SD) for ring size in females was 45.5-53.3 mm; in males less than or equal to 60 years of age, the range was 48.5-59.2 mm. It is concluded that ring size is suited to quantify soft tissue changes of the digits in acrosclerosis. This method has the advantage of being simple.