Comparative analysis of 3D reconstruction of paranasal sinuses for simulated personal identification using Dolphin...

3D reconstructed paranasal sinuses are gaining increasing attention for personal identification. This study assessed the consistency between Dolphin Imaging and Mimics in 3D paranasal sinus reconstruction and the comparative efficacy of combined frontal, sphenoid, and maxillary sinuses versus isolated frontal sinus for personal identification through simulation of ante-mortem and post-mortem data. Retrospective multi-slice CT scans from 100 patients (21-84 years; 50 for each gender) were used to generate 3D models of combined sinuses via both software. Three groups were established: (1) 100 matched pairs from the same individual from both software; (2) 100 mismatched pairs from two different individuals from Dolphin Imaging; and (3) 100 mismatched pairs from two different individuals from Mimics. Root mean square (RMS) point-to-point distances were calculated using Geomagic Qualify. The software consistency was assessed through comparing RMS values (Group 1 versus established frontal sinus matches; Group 2 versus Group 3). Group 1 (males: RMS = 0.399 ± 0.14 mm; females: RMS = 0.373 ± 0.14 mm) demonstrated consistency with established frontal sinus matches (RMS = 0.390 ± 0.25 mm). Group 2 (males: RMS = 4.251 ± 2.01 mm; females: RMS = 4.166 ± 1.63 mm) and 3 (males: 4.187 ± 1.88 mm; females: 4.093 ± 1.66 mm) showed no significant differences, and both aligned with established frontal sinus mismatches (RMS = 4.49 ± 2.69 mm). Significant RMS differences were observed between matches and mismatches (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found according to gender (p > 0.05). This study confirmed comparable reconstruction capabilities between Dolphin Imaging and Mimics for paranasal sinuses and provided combined frontal, sphenoid, and maxillary sinuses as novel, reliable evidence for forensic 3D comparative identification.