Moiré phototopography in the evaluation of anterior chest wall deformities.

One of the major remaining problems in the management of children with anterior chest wall deformities is the lack of a widely accepted objective method of evaluating the severity of the deformity. This deficiency has made it difficult to evaluate indications for operation or the results of operative repair. Moiré phototopography is a new method of accurately measuring human body contours utilizing recent developments in applied optics and has been used successfully in scoliosis screening programs. This technique has been applied to the evaluation of anterior chest wall deformities and the initial results of this study are presented. Moiré phototopography has proven to be a sensitive, reproducible, and easy to perform method of quantitating pectus deformities. While further evaluation is required, this early experience suggests this technique may provide a means of accurately and objectively measuring chest wall deformities so that their physiologic significance can be precisely investigated and the results of therapy critically reviewed.