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Standardized facial photography of cleft patients: just fit the grid?
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Academisch Ziekenhuis Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective:
The objective results of craniofacial surgery are usually evaluated by comparing pre- and postoperative photographs. To allow for optimal comparison, these photographs should be of constant and reproducible lay-out and quality. For this, various techniques to standardize photography have been suggested.
Design, Setting, And Patients:
A review of the literature on standardization of medical photography is presented. The advantages and disadvantages of standardizing techniques are evaluated. The difficulty to achieve standardization in cleft patients is illustrated using clinical photographs. Our personal protocol is presented as it tries to optimize comparability of photographs.
Results:
Use of a grid or cephalostat will not lead to comparable photographs in cleft patients. Personal protocols also have shortcomings, but they offer reproducible and comparable results. A personal effort of the photographer is essential to adjust any allegedly standardizing protocol to the individual patient.
Conclusion:
Photographs are only as good as the photographer. True standardization of facial photographs is a utopia in cleft patients.
