Abstract
Objective
To assess measurement errors of a novel technique for the three-dimensional determination of the degree of facial symmetry in patients suffering from unilateral cleft lip and palate malformations.
Design
Technical report, reliability study.
Setting
Cleft Lip and Palate Center of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Patients
The three-dimensional facial surface data of five 10-year-old unilateral cleft lip and palate patients were subjected to the analysis. Distances, angles, surface areas, and volumes were assessed twice.
Main Outcome Measures
Calculations were made for method error, intraclass correlation coefficient, and repeatability of the measurements of distances, angles, surface areas, and volumes.
Results
The method errors were less than 1 mm for distances and less than 1.5° for angles. The intraclass correlation coefficients showed values greater than .90 for all parameters. The repeatability values were comparable for cleft and noncleft sides.
Conclusion
The small method errors, high intraclass correlation coefficients, and comparable repeatability values for cleft and noncleft sides reveal that the new technique is appropriate for clinical use.
Keywords
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