A New Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Analysis for Orthognathic Surgery

摘要

Two basic problems are associated with traditional 2-dimensional ((2D) cephalometry First, many important parameters cannot be measured on plain cephalograms; and second, most 2D cephalometric measurements are distorted in the presence of facial asymmetry. Three-dimensional (3D) cephalometry, which has been facilitated by the introduction of cone beam computed tomography scans, can be solved these problems. However, before this can be realized, fundamental problems must be solved. They are the unreliability of internal reference systems and some 3D measurements, and the lack of tools to assess and measure symmetry. In this manuscript, the authors present a new 3D cephalometric analysis that uses different geometric approaches to solve the fundamental problems previously mentioned. This analysis allows the accurate measurement of the size, shape, position and orientation of the different facial units and incorporates a novel method to measure asymmetry.