3D CT-based cephalometric analysis: 3D cephalometric theoretical concept and software.

INTRODUCTION

We present an original three-dimensional cephalometric analysis based on a transformation of a classical two dimensional topological cephalometry.

METHODS

To validate the three-dimensional cephalometric CT based concept we systematically compared the alignments of anatomic structures. We used digital lateral radiography to perform the classical two-dimensional cephalometry, and a three-dimensional CT surface model for the three-dimensional cephalometry.

RESULTS

Diagnoses based on both two-dimensional and three-dimensional analyses were adequate, but the three-dimensional analysis gave more information such as the possibility of comparing the right and left side of the skull. Also the anatomic structures were not superimposed which improved the visibility of the reference landmarks.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that three-dimensional analysis gives the same results as two-dimensional analysis using the same skull. We also present possible applications of the method.