Three-Dimensional Calvarial Growth in Spring-Assisted Cranioplasty for Correction of Sagittal Synostosis

Spring-assisted cranioplasty (SAC) is a minimally invasive technique for treating sagittal synostosis in young infants. Yet, follow-up data on cranial growth in patients who have undergone SAC are lacking. This project aimed to understand how the cranial shape develops during the postoperative period, from spring insertion to removal. 3D head scans of 30 consecutive infants undergoing SAC for sagittal synostosis were acquired using a handheld scanner pre-operatively, immediately postoperatively, at follow-up and at spring removal; 3D scans of 41 age-matched control subjects were also acquired. Measurements of head length, width, height, circumference, and volume were taken for all subjects; cephalic index (CI) was calculated. Statistical shape modeling was used to compute 3D average head models of sagittal patients at the different time points. SAC was performed at a mean age of 5.2 months (range 3.3–8.0) and springs were removed 4.3 months later. CI increased significantly (P 
Source: Journal of Craniofacial Surgery - Category: Surgery Tags: Educational Supplement: Springs in Craniofacial Surgery Source Type: research