Investigating the Reliability of Novel Nasal Anthropometry Using Advanced Three-Dimensional Digital Stereophotogrammetry

Abstract

Three-dimensional surface imaging systems (3DSI) provide an effective and applicable approach for the quantification of facial morphology. Several researchers have implemented 3D techniques for nasal anthropometry; however, they only included limited classic nasal facial landmarks and parameters. In our clinical routines, we have identified a considerable number of novel facial landmarks and nasal anthropometric parameters, which could be of great benefit to personalized rhinoplasty. Our aim is to verify their reliability, thus laying the foundation for the comprehensive application of 3DSI in personalized rhinoplasty. We determined 46 facial landmarks and 57 anthropometric parameters. A total of 110 volunteers were recruited, and the intra-assessor, inter-assessor, and intra-method reliability of nasal anthropometry were assessed through 3DSI. Our results displayed the high intra-assessor reliability of MAD (0.012–0.29, 0.003–0.758 mm), REM (0.008–1.958%), TEM (0–0.06), rTEM (0.001–0.155%), and ICC (0.77–0.995); inter-assessor reliability of 0.216–1.476, 0.003–2.013 mm; 0.01–7.552%, 0–0.161, and 0.001–1.481%, 0.732–0.985, respectively; and intra-method reliability of 0.006–0.598°, 0–0.379 mm; 0 0.984%, 0–0.047, and 0–0.078%, 0.996–0.998, respectively. This study provides conclusive evidence for the high reliability of novel facial landmarks and anthropometric parameters for comprehensive nasal measurements using the 3DSI system. Considering this, the proposed landmarks and parameters could be widely used for digital planning and evaluation in personalized rhinoplasty, otorhinolaryngology, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.