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Comparability of Radiographic and 3D-Ultrasound Measurements of Facial Midline Tissue Depths

NCJ Number
213735
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 244-247
Author(s)
Shelley L. Smith Ph.D.; Gaylord S. Throckmorton Ph.D.
Date Published
March 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
As part of a larger project of facial visualization and measurement from ultrasound scans, this study took midline sagittal scans of patients who had lateral cephalographs available for comparison; the objective was to compare tissue depths measured from the ultrasound scans with those measured from the radiographs.
Abstract
Comparison of three points--the upper lip (A-point), chin (B-point), and nose (nasion)--produced differences of varying size between radiographic and ultrasound measurements, with the B-point measurement being significantly affected by head orientation. Comparative measurements for A-point were closer to one another, and they were closest for nasion. The researchers conclude that although the extension of two-dimensional ultrasound scanning of facial tissues to three-dimensional scanning for forensic and surgical reconstructive purposes remains a worthy goal, the different techniques will produce variations in measurements. Eight patients (two males and six females) and one male resident with an available lateral cephalograph were the subjects for the study. Subjects ranged in age from 22 to 37. Five patients' radiographs were taken within 1 week of their ultrasound scans; and those for the three other patients were taken within 4 months of scanning. The resident's radiograph had been taken more than 13 months before the ultrasound scanning, but he was not undergoing treatment during this period. One patient had braces on her teeth at the time of both the radiograph and the ultrasound scan; one patient had braces at the time of the ultrasound scan but not the radiograph, and one had just had separators placed in her mouth before the ultrasound scan and after the radiograph had been taken during a previous visit. 1 figure, 1 table, and 18 references