A new opto-electronic device for measuring leg circumference in comparisonwith manual measurement using a tape measure

For compression treatment to be effective in patients with chronic venous i nsufficiency, it is vital that leg circumference be measured accurately. If compression stockings are custom fit and appropriate for the medical indic ations, patient compliance will be high. Exact measurements of circumferenc e and length are prerequisites for a good fit. The aim of the present study was to compare an opto-electronic device for the contact-free measurement of calf circumference with the conventional manual method using a tape meas ure. We investigated the differences between the results obtained with the two methods, and also their reproducibility. Circumferences were measured a t defined heights on an anatomically shaped non-yielding leg model and on t he leg of a healthy volunteer by 10 different experimenters both with the t ape measure and with the optoelectronic device. The calf circumferences measured manually with the tape measure varied sign ificantly more than those measured opto-electronically, both in the leg mod el and in the leg of the volunteer. A systematic error in the opto-electron ic method appears unlikely, since the manual measurements on the leg model were both larger and smaller than those obtained with the opto;electronic d evice. Reproducibility was exceptionally high with the opto-electronic devi ce (standard deviation 0.11 - 0.42 cm). The opto-electronic method yields r apid accurate measurements of circumference with excellent intra- and inter -operator reproducibility.