Bone Growth after Distraction Osteogenesis in Patients with Craniosynostosis.

Kim, Yong Oock; Kim, Han Jo; Yoo, Sun Kook; Kim, Hee Joong; Kim, Kee Deog; Park, Beyoung Yun

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Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2004;31(5):599-604.
Published online September 1, 2004.

Bone Growth after Distraction Osteogenesis in Patients with Craniosynostosis.

Yong Oock Kim, Han Jo Kim, Sun Kook Yoo, Hee Joong Kim, Kee Deog Kim, Beyoung Yun Park

¹Institue of Human Tissue Restoration, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
³Department of Medical Engineering, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sunkyoo1@ yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
⁴Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁵Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

The pathogenesis of craniosynostosis is the early bone fusion of the sutures. Conventional treatment focused on creating a bony gap in which distraction osteogenesis could be a contradictive procedure. There are few reports on the long-term follow-up of distraction in craniosynostosis and into the continuity of bone tissue. This study was performed to investigate if this continuity of the regenerated bone tissue, which can possibly have inhibitory potentials for bone growth, affects growth after distraction osteogenesis with long- term follow-up results. For the study, the authors realigned all CT scans into a same position using a software program using landmarks from the image for comparison in terms of growth ratio for patients with craniosynostosis. From January 2000 to October 2002, the authors performed distraction osteogenesis on 5 patients with craniosynostosis. Three patients had unilateral coronal craniosynostotis and 2 with unilambdoidal craniosynostosis. The follow-up period was from 13 months to 33 months after full distraction. 3D CT images were obtained preoperatively, after full distraction and at the last follow-up. The result was that the regenerated calvarial bone seems to grow in the same growth ratio as the normal side up to 2 years on follow-up in the patient with unilateral craniosynostosis. According to these results, we conclude that the regenerated bone grows as normal bone even after distraction osteogenesis.

Keywords: Distraction osteogenesis; Craniosynostosis; Bone growth

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