Construction and validation of the midsagittal reference plane based on the skull base symmetry for three-dimensional cephalometric craniofacial analysis.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine the reliable midsagittal (MS) reference plane in practical ways for the three-dimensional craniofacial analysis on three-dimensional computed tomography images.


METHODS
Five normal human dry skulls and 20 normal subjects without any dysmorphoses or asymmetries were used. The accuracies and stability on repeated plane construction for almost every possible candidate MS plane based on the skull base structures were examined by comparing the discrepancies in distances and orientations from the reference points and planes of the skull base and facial bones on three-dimensional computed tomography images.


RESULTS
The following reference points of these planes were stable, and their distribution was balanced: nasion and foramen cecum at the anterior part of the skull base, sella at the middle part, and basion and opisthion at the posterior part.


CONCLUSIONS
The candidate reference planes constructed using the aforementioned reference points were thought to be reliable for use as an MS reference plane for the three-dimensional analysis of maxillofacial dysmorphosis.
From the *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, Seoul; and †Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Daejeon Dental Hospital, College of Dentistry, Wonkwang University, Daejeon, Korea; ‡Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatology Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, Guang Dong, China; and §Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Hak-Jin
HJ
Kim
Bong Chul
BC
Kim
Jin-Geun
JG
Kim
Piao
P
Zhengguo
Sang Hoon
SH
Kang
Sang-Hwy
SH
Lee
D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods*; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009295:Nasal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012658:Sella Turcica / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019291:Skull Base / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult