THREE-DIMENSIONAL SKULL GROWTH VISUALIZATION

COMPREHENSION OF HUMAN SKULL GROWTH REQUIRES COMPUTER VISUALIZATION--TOO MANY GROWTH FACTORS EXIST FOR THE MIND'S EYE TO PICTURE. THE EFFORT WILL PRODUCE A PROTOTYPE SOFTWARE TOOL WHICH UTILIZES THE THREE DIMENSIONAL (3-D) SKULL DESCRIPTION PROVIDED BY COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY (CT) TO PREDICT AND TO VISUALIZE SKULL GROWTH. THIS PROJECT EXTENDS THE USE OF CT DATA BEYOND STRAIGHT GEOMETRICAL DESCRIPTION TO GEOMETRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. PHASE I IS A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOCUSING ON THE GROWTH OF ONE SKULL BONE, ESTABLISHING A VISULAIZATION METHOD AND DEVELOPING THE SOFTWARE. SOFTWARE EXISTS FOR GROWTH FORECASTING TWO-DIMENSIONAL (2-D) SKULL DIAGRAMS, BUT NOT FOR 3-D THIS IS CURIOUS, GIVEN THE ADVANCED STATE OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND THE AVAILABILITY OF MODERATELY PRICED GRAPHICS WORKSTATIONS. THIS RESEARCH INTENDS TO CORRECT THIS OMISSION AND PROVIDE ATOOL THAT CAN BE USED BY DENISTS, PLASTIC SURGEONS, MEDICAL STUDENTS, PATHOLOGISTS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS, PALEONTOLOGISTS AND FORENSIC PHYSICIANS TO SEE THE EFFECTS OF AGE ON A SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL'S SKULL.