PERSPECTIVES ON CRANIOFACIAL GROWTH

Craniofacial growth is extremely complex because of the tremendous rel ative growth differences between the various regions and bones of the skull. Although much has been learned during the past century, there i s still only a limited understanding of the three-dimensional growth p rocess that produces normal and abnormal craniofacial morphology. Curr ent efforts are toward the collection and analysis of a longitudinal d atabase in the form of CT images. This effort will allow the study of questions about the role growth plays in mediating the results of reco nstructive surgery, and ultimately provide information about the futur e appearance of craniofacial patients based on empirically derived gro wth patterns.