Department of Plastic Surgery, 12334UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Analytical Imaging and Modeling Center, Children's Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2020 Dec;57(12):1392-1401. doi: 10.1177/1055665620926014. Epub 2020 Jun 3.
Surgical treatment for trigonocephaly aims to eliminate a stigmatizing deformity, yet the severity that captures unwanted attention is unknown. Surgeons intervene at different points of severity, eliciting controversy. This study used eye tracking to investigate when deformity is perceived.
Three-dimensional photogrammetric images of a normal child and a child with trigonocephaly were mathematically deformed, in 10% increments, to create a spectrum of 11 images. These images were shown to participants using an eye tracker. Participants' gaze patterns were analyzed, and participants were asked if each image looked "normal" or "abnormal."
Sixty-six graduate students were recruited. Average dwell time toward pathologic areas of interest (AOIs) increased proportionally, from 0.77 ± 0.33 seconds at 0% deformity to 1.08 ± 0.75 seconds at 100% deformity ( < .0001). A majority of participants did not agree an image looked "abnormal" until 90% deformity from any angle.
Eye tracking can be used as a proxy for attention threshold toward orbitofrontal deformity. The amount of attention toward orbitofrontal AOIs increased proportionally with severity. Participants did not generally agree there was "abnormality" until deformity was severe. This study supports the assertion that surgical intervention may be best reserved for more severe deformity.
颅三角畸形的手术治疗旨在消除一种令人感到耻辱的畸形，但引起人们注意的严重程度尚不清楚。外科医生在不同的严重程度上进行干预，这引发了争议。本研究使用眼动追踪技术来研究何时会察觉到畸形。
通过数学方法将正常儿童和颅三角畸形儿童的三维摄影图像分别以 10%的增量变形，创建了一个包含 11 个图像的光谱。使用眼动追踪器向参与者展示这些图像。分析参与者的注视模式，并询问他们每个图像是否看起来“正常”或“异常”。
共招募了 66 名研究生。对病理性感兴趣区域（AOI）的平均注视时间呈比例增加，从 0%变形时的 0.77 ± 0.33 秒增加到 100%变形时的 1.08 ± 0.75 秒（<0.0001）。从任何角度来看，大多数参与者都不同意一个图像看起来“异常”，直到变形达到 90%。
眼动追踪可以作为眶额变形注意力阈值的替代指标。眶额 AOI 的注意力随着严重程度呈比例增加。直到变形严重，参与者通常才会同意存在“异常”。这项研究支持这样一种观点，即手术干预可能最好保留给更严重的畸形。
