English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Paediatric calvarial mass lesions are common and can have prognostic and therapeutic implications based on the type of lesions. The spectrum of lesions can extend from benign lesions like cephalhaematoma, which is a common postnatal swelling in the paediatric scalp to severe lesions like neuroblastoma metastases. Therefore, proper diagnosis of these lesions is of prime importance in day to day practice which can help in accurate management of these lesions. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of computed tomography (CT) in the assessment of paediatric calvarial masses. METHODS In our prospective observational study, during a period of 1 year (October 2019 to October 2020) 26 children with visible swelling on the calvarium were subjected to CT examination. The imaging features of various paediatric calvarial lesions on CT were noted. RESULTS Out of 26 paediatric patients, which included infants from 1 day of life to children of 7 years age, the most common age of presentation was less than one-year age group. The most common type of calvarial mass lesion was cephalhaematoma and the next most common mass lesion was dermoid cyst. CT could diagnose all the lesions based on the image morphology with clear delineation of their extent. 16 cases had isolated soft tissue involvement (cephal haematoma, sub galeal haematoma, lipoma, dermoid cyst) whereas ten lesions like encephalocele, osteomyelitis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), fibrous dysplasia, neuroblastoma metastases, lymphoma deposits had both soft tissue and bone involvement. CONCLUSIONS Accurate detection, characterisation and delineation of the lesions are important in management of the various paediatric calvarial masses. CT is a useful imaging tool in confirming the diagnosis and also for anatomical delineation in certain cases requiring surgical management. It also helps in detecting associated intracranial extension of the lesions. KEYWORDS Calvarial Masses, Paediatric, Computed Tomography