Repeatability and clinical utility in stereophotogrammetric measurements of wounds

Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that stereophotogrammetric wound size monitoring shows suitable inter-observer reliability and user acceptance for clinical practice use. l Method: Veterans admitted for conservative management of severe pressure ulcers were eligible for inclusion in the study. Three-dimensional (3D) digital wound images were independently captured by two expert and two non-expert nurse-observers using a commercially available stereophotogrammetry system, weekly for 6 weeks. A double-blinded analyst generated 3D wound reconstructions, using software to determine geometry. Clinical opinion of wound progression was provided by an expert physician. Results: Thirteen wounds were assessed with more than 80% of all images being readable. Interclass correlation of 0.9867 (p < 0.0001) was observed. Compared with clinical opinion, 3D wound measurement was sensitive between improving and static wounds for wound perimeter, volume, depth and length. Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that 3D wound measurement minimises differences in wound measurement between expert and non-expert observers, suggesting it could be implemented with high reliability in health-care settings where several observers are involved in wound care management. Declaration of interest: This study was funded in part by a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs VISN10 Research Initiative Program. All study personnel contributed to the paper. AJD's effort was provided in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the MD degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The authors declare they have no conflict of interests with regard to the information presented in this paper.