Assessment of Body Volume Asymmetry in Healthy Adults via 3D Scanning: Impact on Chest Wall Mobility

A symmetrical body with evenly-developed sides may look better, but in order for humans to adapt to his environment, perfect symmetry of right and left sides hardly exists. This study aimed at determining the right and left body volume asymmetry and its impact on chest wall movements during breathing cycle via 3-D scanning. A sample of 121 adults (78 males and 43 females), age 18 – 44 y was recruited for the research. All the participants were scanned using Artec 3-D scanner to determine total, right and left body volumes; and with Hamamatsu 3-D scanner to determine chest wall mobility during breathing cycle after four reflective stickers had been fixed on the participants; two to delineate the end-points of bideltoid breadth, one on the sternum at the level of the third rib and another at the corresponding level in the posterior median furrow, to delineate anterior-posterior diameter. Comparing the right and left body volume, the right volume was significantly greater than the left body volume in both males and females (P<0.05). Relative to end tidal position, the anterior chest made highest vertical movement, followed by the left deltoid, then the right deltoid, with the least at the dorsal surface in inspiration. Durng expiration, the anterior chest, right deltoid and left deltoid displayed a similar downward movement, but the least magnitude was obtained at the back. 3DS has provided an insight that body side volumes can affect upward and downward distances displaced by thoracic wall at different phases of breathing cycle.