Computers provide the answer for children with facial defects

HE is just 13 weeks old, but Lewis McDermott's face is helping to revolutionise medicine.

Software which was originally designed to make computer game heroes out of real-life celebrities is now being used to help babies such as Lewis, who was born with a cleft lip and palate.

The technology has allowed scientists to create accurate three-dimensional images of babies for the first time, enabling them to treat facial disfigurements more effectively.

The image of Lewis, put into the public domain for the first time today, was created using equipment developed by scientists at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities. Surgeons claimed it represents a breakthrough because other methods of capturing a three-dimensional human image are unsuitable for children.

The possibility of instantly capturing a 3-D image of a patient has widespread potential. It could be used to measure the level of facial paralysis after a stroke; to treat Bell's palsy – a condition where one side of the face is lifeless; or to help with the removal of cancer.

However, it is children who will be first to benefit. X-rays are not allowed on infants because of the radiation, and laser technology and taking plaster casts depend on the infant remaining still for what can be impossibly long periods.

Tests have now shown the system, advanced by the universities' spin-off company Virtual Clones, can create an exact computer replica of a baby's head which specialists can use to measure the features within a 0.5mm error margin.

On the most advanced prototype, they can actually record the distance between the pores of the skin, allowing detailed assessment of the difference between a baby with a cleft palate and the typical features of a same-aged child.

Now the equipment is being used to assess and monitor each of the one in 700 infants born with clefts in Scotland, building an unprecendented database of the way infants' faces grow.

About 40 babies with cleft lips have already been through the procedure along with 200 other children.

By studying in such detail the difference between facial development in babies with and without the deformity, the team at Glasgow Dental Hospital say they can fine-tune surgery to help babies such as Lewis develop a better smile.

Claire Stevenson, Lewis's mother, held him on her lap as two banks of cameras with toys attached took his photograph. Then, in a process which simulates the way the brain turns images from two eyes into three-dimensional vision, the pictures displayed on this page were created.

Ms Stevenson, from Kilsyth, said: "It did not seem to bother Lewis at all. I think he quite enjoyed it. He loves all the attention. It is amazing the things they can do now. I did not realise that kind of technology was available in Glasgow. When I heard about it, I thought I would have to go away to America."

In the future, it is hoped the images collected in Scotland will enable surgeons to accurately predict how a child's face will look after the three different stages of cleft lip and palate surgery.

Professor Ashraf Ayoub, honorary consultant in oral and maxillo-facial surgery, said: "This is the first time ever that we can have 3-D documentation of the patient's face as young as three weeks of age. "That is the whole brilliance of this . . . There are several techniques being utilised for cleft lip and palate. Which one is the best? Now with this tool we will be able to measure them and recommend the best technique. Before now it was all subjective."

Professor Peter Mossey, trustee for the recently launched Scottish Association for Cleft Lip and Palate, said as well as affecting the appearance the condition also affected children's hearing and speech. He added: "That's why it is so important to get the optimum surgery."

Virtual Clones is now on the verge of relaunching under a new name because of the unexpected medical benefit of their work.

Colin Urquhart, chief executive officer of Virtual Clones, said: "We seem to be getting contacted about a different potential medical use every week."

The project has attracted £1m in investment, including funds from the Scottish Executive and the national lottery.