New Methods to Evaluate Craniofacial Deformity and to Plan Surgical Correction.

The success of cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) surgery depends not only on surgical techniques, but also upon an accurate surgical plan. Unfortunately, traditional planning methods are often inadequate for planning complex cranio-maxillofacial deformities. To this end, we developed 3D computer-aided surgical simulation (CASS) technique. Using our CASS method, we are able to treat patients with significant asymmetries in a single operation which in the past was usually completed in two stages. The purpose of this article is to introduce our CASS method in evaluating craniofacial deformities and planning surgical correction. In addition, we discuss the problems associated with the traditional surgical planning methods. Finally, we discuss the strength and pitfalls of using three-dimensional measurements to evaluate craniofacial deformity.