Stephen D. Wohlgemuth

Theory and Practical Steps to Introducing a New 3D Public Health Indicator to Replace BMI Using Existing Population-Based Multidimensional Reference Measurement Sets

Body Mass Index is an aging public health indicator obesity measurement, based solely on height and weight. Despite its shortcomings, it has gained acceptance over time primarily because of its simplicity, and it has been applied not only to individuals, but also to various population groups. Calls to replace BMI with a more modern indicator within the medical community have been growing louder, but the medical community moves very slow and acceptance of a multidimensional health indicator appears to most to be far off. However, by using multinational 3D sizing studies done over the years by the clothing industry, the introduction of a 3D public health indicator as well as a multidimensional population measurement reference set can be implemented in the very near future.

Complete Spacial Evaluation of the Preoperative Bariatric Patient New Insights into Body Composition

Current techniques to evaluate the physical characteristics of the preoperative bariatric subject are generally limited to height, weight and perhaps anthropometric measurements such as waist and hips. By keeping the height and weight values, and using a commercial 3D whole body scanner and associated measurement software, one can provide a complete spacial evaluation of the subject, including excess volume, excess fat and fat density.

Integrating a 3D Body Scanner into an Active Bariatric Surgery Clinic - Practical Experiences, History, Tips and Pitfalls

In late 2005, a 3D whole body scanner began to be used to measure morbidly obese (bariatric) patients prior to surgery. This scanner was located in a cosmetic surgeon’s office. The volume of scans for these bariatric patients soon began to overwhelm the cosmetic surgery practice’s staff. In early 2007, a 3D scanner was placed directly into the bariatric surgery clinic. Protocols were written to streamline and define the bariatric clinic’s staff involvement and to seamlessly integrate the scanner into the clinic’s daily operations. Meaningful reports were designed and a mechanism was created to distribute them to the patients. A billing system was also introduced. Since that time, improvements to scanner technology has led to several scanner replacements, with only slight changes to the overall protocol framework.