Three-dimensional tomographic assessment of the upper airway using 2 different imaging software programs: A comparison study

• Published in: American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics 2021-02, Vol.159 (2), p.217-223
• Main Authors: Garcia-Usó, Michele, Lima, Thiago F., Trindade, Inge Elly K., Pimenta, Luiz Andre F., Trindade-Suedam, Ivy Kiemle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Dentistry; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Oropharynx; Reproducibility of Results; Software
• ISSN: 0889-5406; 1097-6752
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2020.04.021

Several imaging software programs with different tools are available for upper airway (UAW) analysis by means of cone beam computed tomography. Because of this wide variability, this study aimed to compare the reproducibility of two of the most used software programs on UAW segmentation, that is, Dolphin Imaging (Dolphin Imaging and Management Solutions, Chatsworth, Calif) and Mimics Research (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium). The sample consisted of 50 scans of adult subjects with Class III malocclusion; pharyngeal volume and minimal cross-sectional area (mCSA) were assessed twice by 2 experienced evaluators using both software programs. Intra- and intersoftware and/or evaluator agreement were calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Bland-Altman analysis was used to visualize the intersoftware and interevaluator agreement. Using Mimics Research and Dolphin Imaging, the respective mean values of volume (cm3) were 27.1 ± 8.4 and 24.7 ± 8.1 (P