The three dimensional reconstruction and monitoring of facial surfaces.

The study and monitoring of facial appearance is particularly important in the field of orthodontics and reconstructive maxillo-facial surgery. The introduction of new medical imaging techniques, such as X-ray computerized tomography (CT), has enabled surgery to be planned in three dimensions, compared with conventional methods using lateral and antero-posterior cephalographic images. Whilst it is possible to visualize bone and soft tissue structure the repeated use of CT scanning is undesirable because of the high doses of radiation involved. The research involves the development of a simple, low cost and non-invasive three-dimensional scanning method for facial surfaces. This is achieved using a technique known as structured light, using a standard commercial slide projector, CCD cameras and a framestore linked to a PC. The eventual aim is to provide clinicians a software assisted surgical procedure, by merging X-ray and skin data, allowing the manipulation of bone and soft tissue. This will give the facility to predict and monitor post-surgical appearance, detailing the effects of surgery benefiting both the clinician and patient. The research focuses on how the images are obtained using the scanning system and the subsequent image processing of data to give a realistic 3D image using a standard PC.