Validation of cephalic index measurements in scaphocephaly.

Introduction: The cephalic index (CI) of the head can be measured manually using a caliper, the original technique, but it is also possible to determine it using skull X-ray, 2DCT and 3DCT images, 3D photo and with help of plagiocephalometry (PCM).

Patients And Methods: In this study, the manual caliper determination is statistically compared with other measuring methods for scaphocephaly patients (n = 39).

Results: The CI mean differences for the most representative data are sequentially 3.74, 2.16, 1.09 and 0.97 for the 2DCT, PCM, 3D photo and 3DCT techniques. The CI 2DCT values show a significant difference (p < 0.01) in reference to CI manually, while the other techniques show a p > 0.05.

Conclusion: The conclusions are that significantly different results are achieved when using 2DCT relative to the manual caliper determination. No significant difference is observed between the 3D techniques and the manual method.