3D Video System Quantifies Facial Movement
Researchers presented a new three dimensional video system that tracks and evaluates facial functioning at the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) meeting in Washington, D.C., as described by Medical News Today.
The system is a three-dimensional video acquisition system (3D VAS) developed by Drs. Ritvik Prakash, Song Zhang, and Theresa A. Hadlock. Drs. Hadlock and Prakash are on staff at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. The system allows measurement of absolute motion of both positions of deformable objects and geometric shapes in real-time.
The new research used the 3D VAS technology to quantify facial movement in a cohort of healthy patients. Speculation about other uses of the system include an application to assess patients suffering from facial paralysis. In that context, this tool would help determine the amount of facial function using an objective measurement tool.
Paralysis has aesthetic consequences for patients, as well as limiting patients’ ability to express emotions. This results in functional consequences for patients, amongst the other devastating effects. Patients may develop a condition which directly causes facial paralysis, such as Bell’s Palsy or as a consequence of another disease, such as stroke.
September 21, 2007 Related topics: New Technology & Innovation, Imaging, Otolaryngology