The Kindred Reference Form: A New Paradigm for Assessing Facial Morphology in Patients With Deformities

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging and analysis
• Biomedical engineering
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Population-based normative reference models are crucial for assessing facial form.
• Existing facial morphology databases have limitations, including incompleteness and lack of applicability for mixed-heritage patients.
• These limitations hinder accurate assessment and patient-specific surgical planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new paradigm for personalized facial morphology assessment.
• To introduce the Kindred Reference Form (KRF) framework.
• To overcome the limitations of current population-based datasets.

Main Methods:

• Deriving personalized reference morphology from a patient's nondeformed relatives.
• Utilizing a novel framework for individualized normative standards.
• Applying the KRF for patient-specific surgical planning in facial deformities.

Main Results:

• The Kindred Reference Form provides an individualized normative standard.
• This framework overcomes the limitations of traditional population datasets.
• It offers a new direction for patient-specific surgical planning.

Conclusions:

• The Kindred Reference Form represents a significant advancement in facial morphology assessment.
• This personalized approach enhances accuracy for diverse patient populations.
• The KRF framework holds promise for improving surgical outcomes in facial deformities.