Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026
Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
Published on: November 4, 2025
A Craniometric Analysis of Cranial Base and Cranial Vault Differences in Patients With Metopic Craniosynostosis
Sanjay Naran1, Daniel Mazzaferro, Ari Wes
1*Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery †Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Purpose:
The effect of synostosis is not confined to the immediate vicinity of the suture. The authors hypothesized metopic craniosynostosis results in migration of lateral structures from midline, and differences in segmental volume of the cranial fossa.
Methods:
A retrospective case-controlled cohort analysis of patients with nonsyndromic metopic craniosynostosis was performed. Craniometric angles, distances to landmarks from midline, cephalic index, and segmented volume ratios were calculated. A comparison group consisted of patients without cranial pathology or with mild positional plagiocephaly.
Results:
Twenty patients with metopic craniosynostosis and 19 controls were identified. The bifrontal angle was significantly more acute in metopic patients. Distance from midline to the medial carotid, the foramen ovale, and the hypoglossal canal were all significantly longer in metopic patients. Ratio of anterior third to total cranial vault volume was significantly smaller in metopic patients; however, ratio of middle third to total cranial vault volume was significantly larger. As the bifrontal angle decreased by 1°, the volume of the anterior third of the cranial vault was observed to decrease by 0.17% (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Patients with metopic craniosynostosis show a distinct and significant transverse lateralization of structures of the anterior skull base relative to midline, significant restriction of the anterior third of the cranial vault, and compensatory expansion of the middle third. There is a linear relationship between the bifrontal angle and the subsequent change in anterior third cranial vault volume.
Level Of Evidence:
IV; Therapeutic.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
01:27Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
01:22Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
01:08Overview of the Skull
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...