The effect of computed tomographic scan orientation on information loss in the three-dimensional reconstruction of tripod zygomatic fractures.

Fractures modeled in the dried skull indicate that the initial plane of computed tomography (CT) section contributes to the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) images generated from two-dimensional (2D) CT data. The authors retrospectively analyzed seven clinical cases of tripod zygomatic fractures that were imaged with both axial and coronal CT scan orientations. Ten observers evaluated paired 3D CT images, one generated from 2D CT data in the axial plane and the other generated from coronal 2D CT data, for each of the seven cases of tripod fractures. A G-E 9800 CT scanner with the 3D98 Quick processing system were used for the 3D reconstructions. The axial scan orientation resulted in 3D reconstructions that had significantly less information loss in the display of the tripod fractures than did those based on coronal CT data (P less than .025).