Clinical diagnosis and treatment in children with unicoronal craniosynostosis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical features and surgical treatment in children with unicoronal craniosynostosis. Methods The clinical data of 37 children with unicoronal craniosynostosis admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Children's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University from January 2005 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were diagnosed by craniofacial CT scan + three-dimensional reconstruction. The individualized surgical procedures were developed according to the characteristics of skull deformity, degree of deformity, and age of each child. Craniofacial surgery treatment was performed at stage I. Results Thirty-seven children with unicoronal craniosy-nostosis were treated by the surgery. The operation effect was good. There were no serious complications. At the time of surgery, 27 children were <1 year old. Their early surgical outcome was more satisfactory. They were followed up for 1 to 10 years after procedure. Their craniofacial contours were reconstructed and brain tissues were fully developed. There were 28 children performed CT + three-dimensional reconstruction again after procedure and the cranial volume measurement was performed. Their statistical results showed that cranial volume of the children increased significantly after procedure (P<0.05). Conclusions The craniofacial CT scan + three-dimensional reconstruction examination has an important significance for the clinical diagnosis, classification of diseases, and postoperative follow-up of craniosynostosis. According to the different characteristics of each child, choosing the individualized operation scheme and early operation, the treatment effect is better. Key words: Child; Craniosynostoses; Diagnosis; Treatment outcome