Mentee
Cheri Chambers, PhD
University of Washington
Mentor
Heather Brandling-Bennett, MD
Seattle Children’s Hospital
University of Washington
Overview
Pediatric morphea is a chronic medical condition that can cause irreversible skin, muscle, and bone damage during development. Morphea affects about 0.34 to 2.7 cases per 100,000 children per year. Misdiagnosis and delayed treatment can lead to worse outcomes. Furthermore, there are no gold standard tests that can measure disease activity or if the disease is responding well to treatment. Currently, clinicians prescribe treatments based on clinical exam and patient history. The focus of our proposed project is to improve the ability to assess disease activity in children with morphea on the head/face. We propose a retrospective study to investigate the use of 3D imaging to track changes in facial structures, such as muscle atrophy, in pediatric facial morphea patients. We will examine the ability of 3D images to track disease activity in a more sensitive and objective manner than clinical assessment alone. This information could help physicians guide treatment.
Status
This project was funded through a 2023 PeDRA Emerging Investigator Research Grant.
