VISUAL EVOKED CORTICAL POTENTIALS IN THE CHILDREN PRESENTING WITH CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CLINICAL CASES AND THE ANALYSES OF THE LITERATURE DATA

Abstract

This article is devoted to the abnormalities of the visual function associated with the rare and severe congenital pathology - craniosynostosis in the hildren. We observed three clinical cases of partial craniosynostosis: scaphocephaly, plagiocephaly, and trigonocephaly. In addition to the standard ophthalmologic examination, we carried out the electrophysiological study to measure visual evoked potentials r (VEP). In the case of trigonocephaly, we documented significant changes in the amplitude-time characteristics of VEP and revealed partial atrophy of the optic nerves. Strabismus was detected in the cases of plagiocephaly and trigonocephaly. We obtained evidence of the association between different types of craniosynostosis and the anatomical features, such as location of the cranial sutures, and the manifestations of the pathological process underlying the changes in VEP especially its amplitude and temporal characteristics. They included the prolonged implicit time of the PI00 component most pronounced in the cells with the angulsar size of 8 minutes and the decrease of the PI00 peak amplitude. The damage to the optic nerves, especially the secondary one, due to the papilledema can be prevented by the early diagnostics of craniosynostosis. When craniosynostosis is suspected in the children, they need to undergo the ophthalmological examination. Early diagnostics with the use of not only the standard methods of ophthalmological studies but also of electrophysiological investigations allows to significantly improve the prognosis in different types of craniosynostosis in the children.