Application of a new method for anthropometric analysis of the nose

An accurate, quantitative method of measuring external nasal forms was developed in which facial plaster models were measured with a highly accurate contact-type three-dimensional coordinate measurement apparatus. Subsequently, we have developed techniques to identify the landmarks of a face automatically from the three-dimensional data and to superimpose two sets of data automatically for the purpose of sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively. These techniques were applied to patients with unilateral cleft lip nasal deformities. Consequently, we were able to observe shifts in the facial landmarks and subtle three-dimensional changes.