Description of a new cephalostat and its performance.

Abstract

Studies of the growth of the facial skeleton and evaluation of orthodontic treatment are some of the most common applications of roentgen cephalometry. Such studies require repeated examination of the patient. This in turn requires good reproduction of the relative positions of the focus of the roentgen tube, the subject and the plane of the film. The roentgen tube and the plane of the film can be fixed to one another. The problem is however, to position the subject in a reproducible relation to the roentgen tube and the plane of the film. MOORREES & KEAN (1958) showed that the head can be positioned unsupported with a remarkably good reproducibility, as judged from two observations at an interval of one week. They roentgenogaphed the subjects sitting at ease looking at themselves in a mirror. However, since BROADBENT'S (1931) and HOFRATH'S (1931) introduction of cephalostats as an aid for obtaining standard lateral head roentgenograms, roentgen cephalometric analyses have been based almost exclusively on roentgenograms obtained with the subject positioned in a cephalostat. Examples of different cephalostat constructions have been published by KROGMAN & SASSOUNI (1957). Most cephalostats are technically complicated, a fact which makes them difficult to handle for auxiliary personnel. The aim of our investigation was to construct a cephalostat which would be simple to operate for assisting personnel. This paper describes a new cephalostat and its performance.