Prediction of the Postoperative Changes of the Cranial Base in Unicoronal Craniosynostosis using CT Scan.

Kim, Young Seok; Kim, Jin Hyung; Kim, Yong Oock; Yoo, Sun Kook; Lee, Hye Yeon; Kim, Kee Deog; Park, Beyoung Yun

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2004;31(2):149-154.
Published online March 1, 2004.

Prediction of the Postoperative Changes of the Cranial Base in Unicoronal Craniosynostosis using CT Scan.

Young Seok Kim, Jin Hyung Kim, Yong Oock Kim, Sun Kook Yoo, Hye Yeon Lee, Kee Deog Kim, Beyoung Yun Park

¹Institute for Human Tissue Restoration, Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Korea. sgm625@yumc. yonsei.ac.kr
²Department of Medical Engineering, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
³Department of Anatomy, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁴Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology, Yonsei University Dental College, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Three unilateral craniosynostosis (plagiocephaly) patients who had undergone the cranial vault surgery in 4,9,18 months after birth were evaluated. The CT scans were obtained with high resolution. The CT scan data were reconstructed three dimensionally via Analyze AVW software, and visualized as volume rendering mode. The reconstructed volume data was realigned using 4 anatomical landmarks, nasion, basion, left and right external auditory meatus. After all data sets were realigned with same orientation, the target axial slice was obtained. The target slices are determined that is passing the center of the sellar trucica. The anterior, posterior and lateral distances were measured and the midsagittal angles were measured on the selected target slices. The pre- and post-operative data of measurement were compared. As results, the growth of affected side was seemed to be more rapid than that of normal side in patients who had undergone surgery at the time of 4 and 9 months old. Midsagittal angle was also increased up to about 180 degrees. However it was not definite in the 18month old patient. These results can be an evidence of the compensatory growth of the synostotic cranial base of synostosed side as same as other previous reports, however, much more cases should be examined to make the results to be more objective.

Keywords: Unicoronal craniosynostosis; Cranial base growth; CT data