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Pyrexia after transcranial surgery for Pfeiffer syndrome
Ikkei Tamada1, David J David, Peter J Anderson
1Australian Craniofacial Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. ikkei@ams.odn.ne.jp
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
|February 27, 2009
Summary
Postoperative fever in Pfeiffer syndrome patients after transcranial surgery shows a bimodal pattern within 48 hours, similar to nonsyndromic cases. Prolonged fever may indicate complications.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
Background:
- Previous research identified a bimodal fever pattern post-transcranial surgery for nonsyndromic craniosynostosis.
- Postoperative pyrexia was observed to have a distinct bimodal distribution within the initial 48 hours.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess pyrexia patterns after transcranial surgery for syndromic craniosynostosis (Pfeiffer syndrome).
- To determine if the bimodal fever pattern observed in nonsyndromic cases is also present in Pfeiffer syndrome.
- To investigate correlations between pyrexia and factors like sex, age, surgical procedure, duration, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 21 Pfeiffer syndrome cases.
- Analysis of 38 postoperative temperature courses.
- Plotting mean temperature changes to identify trends.
Main Results:
- Pyrexia in Pfeiffer syndrome patients exhibited a bimodal distribution within 48 hours post-surgery, mirroring nonsyndromic cases.
- Higher and more prolonged fevers were associated with longer surgeries, frontofacial advancements, and CSF leakage.
- Temperature patterns were more complex in cases with postoperative CSF leakage.
Conclusions:
- Pfeiffer syndrome, characterized by complex pathology, presents a bimodal postoperative temperature course.
- This bimodal pyrexia is likely a normal postoperative response in these patients.
- Sustained fever within 48 hours post-surgery warrants further investigation for potential complications.
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