Three dimensional digitization of the face and skull.

The possibility of using computer-aided design as a tool for the planning and simulation of facial reconstruction surgery is discussed and has been shown to be feasible. Methods of acquiring the essential measurements on the facial surface and the underlying bone structure in a computer-compatible form are described, including a new approach which has been implemented using a system of fanned laser beams and a television camera for data acquisition. A mathematical analysis of the properties of this kind of imaging system is given. Finally the requirements of a complete aid to surgery system based on this approach are outlined and plans for the implementation of such a system are described.