Tissue-Depth Method
Definition
The American facial approximation technique (Krogman, Iscan) in which tissue-depth pegs are placed at standardised landmarks using population-mean depth data from cadaver studies, and clay is applied between the pegs to the peg tip level. The Rhine-Campbell (1980) US data are the most widely cited reference.
- Origin
- American technique, associated with Krogman and Iscan
- Tool
- Standardised tissue-depth pegs at facial landmarks
- Data source
- Population-mean depths from cadaver studies
- Key US reference
- Rhine-Campbell (1980) data
Common questions
How does the tissue-depth method actually build the face?+
Pegs cut to standardised lengths are fixed at defined skull landmarks, and clay is then built up between adjacent pegs to their tip height, using the peg heights as a scaffold that constrains the modelled soft-tissue thickness across the whole face.
What is the main limitation of using population-mean tissue-depth data?+
Mean depths are drawn from a reference population that may not match the individual's age, sex, ancestry or body composition, so the resulting approximation is a plausible likeness rather than an exact reconstruction, useful for public recognition appeals rather than positive identification.
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