Are Portable Stereophotogrammetric Devices Reliable in Facial Imaging? A Validation Study of VECTRA H1 Device.

PURPOSE: Modern 3-dimensional (3D) image acquisition systems represent a crucial technologic development in facial anatomy because of their accuracy and precision. The recently introduced portable devices can improve facial databases by increasing the number of applications. In the present study, the VECTRA H1 portable stereophotogrammetric device was validated to verify its applicability to 3D facial analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty volunteers underwent 4 facial scans using portable VECTRA H1 and static VECTRA M3 devices (2 for each instrument). Repeatability of linear, angular, surface area, and volume measurements was verified within the device and between devices using the Bland-Altman test and the calculation of absolute and relative technical errors of measurement (TEM and rTEM, respectively). In addition, the 2 scans obtained by the same device and the 2 scans obtained by different devices were registered and superimposed to calculate the root mean square (RMS; point-to-point) distance between the 2 surfaces.

RESULTS: Most linear, angular, and surface area measurements had high repeatability in M3 versus M3, H1 versus H1, and M3 versus H1 comparisons (range, 82.2 to 98.7%; TEM range, 0.3 to 2.0 mm, 0.4° to 1.8°; rTEM range, 0.2 to 3.1%). In contrast, volumes and RMS distances showed evident differences in M3 versus M3 and H1 versus H1 comparisons and reached the maximum when scans from the 2 different devices were compared.

CONCLUSION: The portable VECTRA H1 device proved reliable for assessing linear measurements, angles, and surface areas; conversely, the influence of involuntary facial movements on volumes and RMS distances was more important compared with the static device.