Predicting sagittal plane profile using 3D surface photography of the spine

3D non-contact surface scanners capture highly accurate, calibrated images of surface topography for 3D structures. These scanners are comparatively inexpensive to operate and involve no radiation exposure for the patient. An important step towards use of this scanning technology to augment traditional clinical imaging, is to measure and compare the position/alignment of the spinal bones when measured using both modalities. This study sought to establish the efficacy and accuracy of using 3D surface scanning to characterise spinal curvature and sagittal plane profile. 3D surface scan reconstructions of the spinal shape were compared with 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the osseous spinal anatomy for healthy adult participants