Is Kinect Depth Data Accurate for the Aesthetic Evaluation after Breast Cancer Surgeries?

Abstract

The conservative treatment is now the preferred procedure to treat breast cancer mainly due to better aesthetical results obtained. However, the aesthetic outcome is diverse and very difficult to evaluate, which motivates the research on automatic methodologies. The use of three-dimensional (3D) methodologies is increasing; however, the high cost of the equipment and the need for specialised technicians to operate it are import setbacks. Consequently, the search for affordable and easy to perform equipments is highly desirable. This paper studies the application of a Kinect device in this field, addressing issues related to accuracy, resolution and quality of the data. The paper demonstrates a comparative study of state-of-the-art Super-Resolution (SR) algorithms applied to the Kinect depth data, and the importance to improve the quality of images is stressed. The results demonstrate that it is possible to measure volumetric information and that there is agreement between features and the subjective aesthetic evaluation. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.