Morphanalysis of craniofacial dysharmony.

The first stage in the morphanalysis of craniofacial dysharmony involves induction. In this process, individual analytic morphograms are combined to form analytic histograms, which in turn are connected to form analytic histomorphograms, which provide three-dimensional statements about the variation in craniofacial structures in a population. The second stage involves deduction, in which the analytic morphograms of a particular patient are compared with appropriate analytic histomorphograms, so that a diagnosis of the three-dimensional nature of the dysharmony can be made. Craniofacial morphanalysis is performed manually in small scale enquiries but the methods have been converted to computer-graphic technology for large-scale studies. A clinical morphanalysis service is currently conducted and a standard reference atlas is being prepared.