Examining growth with statistical shape analysis and comparison of growth models

Abstract

Growth curves have been widely used in the fields of biology, zoology and medicine for assessing some measurable trait of an organism, such as height, weight, area or volume. In statistical shape analysis, a size measure is obtained using the geometrical information of an object as opposed to linear measurements. The performances of commonly used non-linear growth curves are compared by using centroid size as a size measure in a simulation study. An example is provided on the relationship between centroid size of the cerebellum and disease duration in multiple sclerosis patients.