Cephalometric analysis comparing five different methods

A commonly used cephalometric analysis was performed repeatedly on five lateral cephalometric radiographs using a variety of methods, and the angular values obtained compared. Two computerized methods, one utilizing direct digitization of the radiograph and the other digitizing an enhanced video image of the radiograph, were compared with each other and also against the traditional manual method of tracing. In addition, a single manual tracing of each of the radiographs was digitized using each computer method. It was found that direct digitization is less precise than both the traditional method and digitization of a tracing. The facility to enhance the radiographic image using video techniques did not produce any significant improvement in precision of the cephalometric variables studied.