Review Question - QID 6424

One of the new technologies available to the prosthetist is the use of digital scanners to obtain a model of the residual limb. Typically, a digital image of the residual limb is obtained by either running a wand over the surface anatomy, allowing the computer program to record the shape, or by using a ring-type scanner that does not make contact with the residual limb but records the shape by bouncing a laser beam off the limb. In either instance, the end result is a digital image that can then be viewed and modified on the computer to improve the weight-bearing aspects of a socket shape or take pressure off sensitive bony areas. The final shape is then carved out of a foam block for use in the socket fabrication process. Computer-aided socket design is still dependent on input from the prosthetist, and therefore does not represent an improvement in overall socket fit. Digital scanning works well on specific types of devices, such as transfemoral sockets, where there is more soft tissue relative to bone. The scanner does not have the ability to detect the density of tissue beneath the scanned surface. Heterotopic ossification and other anomalies will be missed if a thorough examination of the underlying anatomy is neglected. Therefore, the advantages of using scanning technology are for producing and fabricating a socket shape quickly, storing the shape digitally for future use, and increasing efficiency with a plasterless facility.