A.S. Vedenina

Patients with lower limb edema occur in the clinical practice of various specialties physicians. The distribution of edema in the body, skin changes, localized mainly around the ankles (pigmentation, eczema, seals, trophic skin changes, scratches and sores), beginning demonstrations, daily dynamics and fluctuations in limb over time can provide almost every information, which is necessary to determine the exact diagnosis. To estimate the morphological parameters of the lower limbs edema a method of optical scanning them in parallel rays of light could be suggested. Hardware and software systems for plantopodography (method for estimating of feet shape and sizes), based on optical scanning, are accessible and available in many clinics. In addition, estimation of edema of the lower limbs can be needed to more accurately determine the shape of the feet. Among of optical scanning using for estimation of edema lower limbs could be marked out following: noninvasive and simple technique; lack of radiation exposure; high-speed estimation; conclusiveness of the method - you can make electronic archives for each patient's; low price. All this advantages allow the circadian dynamics of edema. Moreover, the optical scanning method will more accurately define the picture of the edema formation, a namely its location, change of skin. Estimation of the skin temperature is often required in the presence of edema. The combining possibility of com-puter plantopodography based on optical scanning and thermography allows to improve the quality of diagnosis of the patients with edema of the lower limbs, gives a new biomedical information for a comprehensive estimation of diseases associated with edema of lower limbs, helps to understand the nature of edema and its localization. Thus, it is required to use optical scanning to estimation of edema of the lower limbs: - Increase working-surface area of the vertical scanner; - Development of a methodology of calculating of the morphological parameters of limbs, which characterizes edema and its dynamics, calculating of asymmetries coefficients between healthy and diseased limbs on the digital images of limbs, which is obtained by the method of optical scanning; - Development of a mask of reference points, which must be installed by the operator of hardware and software system on digital imaging of limbs, to automate the calculating of the above-mentioned parameters and coeffi-cients; - Estimation of combining possibility of plantopodography, based on optical scanning, and thermography; the creation of a single-axis of these systems.