Atretic cephalocele associated with sinus pericranii: a single-center analysis.

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to investigate the association of atretic cephalocele (AC) with sinus pericranii (SP) in order to improve the management of AC. Pediatric patients with AC who underwent repair surgeries were retrospectively analyzed. Anomalies including SP were evaluated using computed tomography angiography and venography (CTA/V) as well as magnetic resonance imaging. Fourteen patients were identified, comprising of 5 males and 9 females. The AC was located interparietally in 8 cases and occipitally in 6 cases. Seven cases (50%) were found to be associated with SP, all of which did not involve major intracranial venous circulation. Five out of 8 parietal ACs (63%) were accompanied by SP, while 2 out of 6 occipital ACs (33%) exhibited SP. All of the SP associated with AC only contributed to a small portion of the venous outflow, and the repair surgeries were successfully performed without excessive bleeding. More than half of the ACs were associated with SP, with a higher prevalence in the parietal region compared to the occipital region. For the appropriate management of AC, preoperative investigation of SP using CT venography is considered important.