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Changes in orbital volume during childhood in cases of craniosynostosis
Robert P Bentley1, Spyros Sgouros, Kalyan Natarajan
1Department of Craniofacial Surgery and Institute of Child Health, Birmingham Children's Hospital, United Kingdom.
Insights
Frontoorbital advancement (FOA) surgery for craniosynostosis may be delayed. Orbital volume in children with craniosynostosis approaches normal levels by 6-8 months, suggesting optimal surgical timing later in the first year of life.
Area of Science:
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Craniosynostosis, premature fusion of skull sutures, often necessitates frontoorbital advancement (FOA) surgery.
- The optimal timing for FOA remains debated, with reduced orbital volume and exorbitism cited as reasons for early intervention.
- Orbital volume changes in early childhood are crucial for understanding growth patterns in craniosynostosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze orbital volume changes in children with craniosynostosis during the first few years of life.
- To compare orbital growth patterns in craniosynostosis with normal development.
- To inform surgical timing for FOA to optimize patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Orbital volumes were measured using segmentation on preoperative CT scans in 50 children with craniosynostosis.
- Age-related changes in average orbital volume were calculated and compared to a normative growth model.
- Children's ages ranged from 1 to 29 months, with 82% under one year.
Main Results:
- Children with craniosynostosis have smaller initial orbital volumes but attain normal mean volumes by 13 months.
- Orbital volumes approach normal by 6 months in males and 8 months in females.
- FOA surgery appears to normalize orbital volume growth, regardless of syndromic or nonsyndromic status.
Conclusions:
- The restrictive effects of craniosynostosis on orbital volume diminish significantly within the first few months of life.
- Delaying FOA surgery until the latter half of the first year maximizes accelerated normal orbital growth.
- Optimized surgical timing can enhance outcomes and reduce the risk of relapse in craniosynostosis treatment.
Object:
Controversy remains concerning the timing of frontoorbital advancement (FOA) surgery performed for craniosynostosis. Reduced orbital volume and degree of exorbitism are often cited as reasons for early surgical intervention. To date, however, little attention has been given to orbital volume and its changes during the first few years of life as an indicator of orbital growth in children with craniosynostosis. Knowledge of orbital volume and growth patterns in individuals with craniosynostosis and those with normal cranial structures will enable surgeons to refine both the type and timing of surgical intervention required, thus obtaining the optimum outcome for their patients.
Methods:
Using the procedure of segmentation, orbital volumes in 50 children with various forms of craniosynostosis were measured on preoperative computerized tomography scans. Changes in average volume that occur with increasing age were calculated and compared with a model of normal orbital volume growth. At presentation the children with craniosynostosis ranged in age from 1 to 29 months, with 82% of them within the 1st year of life. Several interesting observations emerged from this study. Excluding patients with unilateral coronal synostosis, there was no difference between orbital volumes measured on the right and left sides, allowing mean orbital volume measurements to be used for comparative purposes. Although children with craniosynostosis begin life with significantly smaller orbital volumes, overall normal mean volumes for both sexes are attained by 13 months of age, with volumes approaching normal by 6 months of age in male infants and by 8 months of age in female infants. Changes in orbital volume associated with age generally appear to be similar in most forms of craniosynostosis. There appears to be no significant difference in changes in orbital volume between children with syndromic or nonsyndromic forms of bicoronal synostosis. Orbital volume is significantly reduced on the ipsilateral affected side in cases of unicoronal synostosis in comparison with the contalateral side, but it is not significantly lower than that of normal. Finally, FOA surgery appears to restore normal growth of orbital volume.
Conclusions:
The results of this study indicate that the underlying mechanism leading to craniosynostosis and restriction of orbital volume "burns out" and begins to lose its major effects within the first few months of life. It would appear that FOA surgery should be delayed until the end of the second half of the 1st year of life, thus maximizing the effects of accelerated normal orbital growth and reducing the risks of relapse.