The Farkas System of Craniofacial Anthropometry: Methodology and Normative Databases

Abstract

LG Farkas created the first comprehensive craniofacial surface anthropometric atlas Anthropometry of the Head and Face in Medicine in 1981, and he has continued to develop new measurements and normative data through revision and updates of the atlas and published datasets. Trained in both plastic surgery and medical anthropology, Dr. Farkas created a meticulous measurement system that is based on the identification of anthropometric landmarks. Over the last 25 years he provided extensive hands-on training for clinicians and scientists in North America and around the world. This attention to detail is essential, since these procedures are painstaking and careful instruction is required. The Farkas system of craniofacial anthropometry has found increasing application in medical and clinical genetics and in plastic and oral/maxillofacial surgery. Quantitative measurements have rendered the diagnosis of dysmorphic features both objective and reliable, a boon to geneticists and surgeons alike. Also, surgical planning has benefited from these metrics which are useful in the assessment of post-operative success. Both of these developments have been facilitated by the publication of the Farkas methods and norms, which continue to be expanded and updated. This craniofacial surface measurement system has become a popular standard reference, providing the most extensive normative database extant for North America.