An instrument for monitoring stump oedema and shrinkage in amputees.
A new system for measuring the cross-sectional area profiles of amputation stumps and whole limbs has been designed at the Amputee Research Centre. The instrument consists of a cylindrical tank supported on an elevator. The tank is raised to the height of the amputation stump and filled with water. A graph of the cross-sectional area profile of the amputation stump is generated by a mini-computer as the elevator descends. The cross-sectional area (A) is calculated from the expression: formula: (see text) where Hw = height of water in the tank He = height of the elevator Ac = a constant, related to the size of the measuring tank. This paper describes the instrument, which may find application in many other areas where there is a need to study shape.
D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000672:Amputation Stumps; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*