Cephalograms of twenty-seven untreated adult Caucasians, selected on the basis of a clinical impression of reduced lower facial height, were studied. Various linear and angular measurements were studied and compared to the Bolton standards. The short face syndrome SFS is a clinically recognizable facial type with reduced lower facial height as the common denominator. On the basis of the FPI (facial proportion index), the RH (ramus height), the OP-PP distance (or posterior maxillary height), and the SN:MP angle, two subgroups were distinguished in the SFS group. SFS, was characterized by a long ramus, sharply reduced SN:MP angle, an FPI close to 10, and a slightly reduced posterior maxillary height. In contrast, SFS2 was characterized by a short ramus, a slightly reduced SN:MP angle, an FPI with values around or below zero, and a sharply reduced posterior maxillary height. The latter group was designated as vertical maxillary deficiency.