INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS PUBLISHING PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT Physiol. Meas. 27 (2006) 1107–1123 doi:10.1088/0967-3334/27/11/005 Wound measurement by curvature maps: a feasibility study Xiang Liu 1 , Wangdo Kim 2 , Reiner Schmidt 3 , Burkhard Drerup 3 and Jinsup Song 4 1 School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2 Biomechanics Laboratory, Legacy Clinical Research & Technology Centre, Portland, OR, USA 3 Klinik und Poliklinik f ¨ ur Technische Orthop¨ adie und Rehabilitation, Universt¨ atsklinikum, M¨ unster, Germany 4 Advanced Wound Healing Centre, Temple University, School of Podiatric Medicine, PA, USA E-mail: liuxiang@pmail.ntu.edu.sg Received 24 April 2006, accepted for publication 8 August 2006 Published 12 September 2006 Online at stacks.iop.org/PM/27/1107 Abstract A non-contact wound measurement method by laser scanner and curvature maps is presented. A patient’s foot ulcer is scanned by FastSCAN ten times over a three-week period. With the surface’s 3D coordinates, curvature maps of the ulcerous area are calculated. Utilizing a specified rim curvature value, the wound edge is detected and processed via cubic spline smoothing, which is qualitatively verified by a photograph. Subsequently, the depth, area and volume of the wound can be calculated. The results indicate that laser scanning followed by curvature analysis might be a potential clinical tool for non-contact measurement of wounds. Keywords: wound measurement, laser scanner, curvature analysis (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version) 1. Introduction Health care costs associated with wound care are significant and continue to rise (Krouskop et al 2002). Numerous treatment modalities are available to manage chronic wounds, including various wound dressings (Graumlich et al 2003, Kannon and Garrett 1995), off- loading devices, low-energy laser (Gogia 1995), ultrasound (Dyson 1995) and artificial skin equivalents. A reliable, standardized wound measurement technique is needed to better assess the efficacy of wound care products and to implement an appropriate treatment algorithm based on healing progress. 0967-3334/06/111107+17$30.00 © 2006 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK 1107