[The craniometric individuality of the human skull]

Experimental findings indicate that if the basic position of the skull is assessed visually (as is usually done in expert photocombination), various video images of the same skull never fully conform to each other, the deviations reaching 1.5 and more degrees. As a result of this, the accuracy of determining the reference points on the video image varies from 1.-1.5 to 4.0-4.5 mm (en face) and 1.5-2.0 to 6.0-6.5 mm (profile). The task of identification of two images of the skull is reliably solved in 87.7% cases, and in 12.3% cases the results may be false-positive or false-negative. The individuality of the skull, that is, the impossibility of its replacement during computer-aided photocombination is realized in the absence of aspect distortions and minimal errors of measurements. Hence, a new technology of studies is to be introduced: coordination-monitored stable complex of video camera and computer with metric monitoring of all parameters liable to change.