Optimal timing of endoscopic sagittal suturectomy

Endoscopic sagittal suturectomy (ESS) is commonly offered for sagittal craniosynostosis in infants, but the optimal timing of surgery remains controversial, with many clinicians only offering ESS surgery before 3 months of age. This study investigated whether patient age predicts craniometric correction and, more specifically, whether patients > 3 months of age at surgery manifest less correction. The effects of age on blood transfusion were also investigated.

A single-center retrospective review identifying patients with sagittal craniosynostosis who underwent ESS between 2009 and 2023 at Children's National Medical Center was performed. The authors stratified patients by age groups to compare outcomes and transfusion rates. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) analysis was performed to identify optimal age cutoffs.

In total, 107 patients were included. Stratifying age group by 0-2 months, 2-3 months, and > 3 months revealed that the > 3-month age group was less likely to achieve the target cephalic index (CI) at the final follow-up (48.8% vs 61.5% vs 25.0%, p = 0.031) and had less mean percentage CI change at the 6-month follow-up (17% ± 8% vs 18% ± 8% vs 12% ± 6%, p = 0.011), helmet discontinuation (18% ± 9% vs 18% ± 8% vs 12% ± 6%, p = 0.008), 1-year follow-up (15% ± 9% vs 17% ± 7% vs 10% ± 7%, p = 0.005), and final follow-up (14% ± 9% vs 15% ± 7% vs 8% ± 7%, p = 0.004). There were no differences in outcomes between groups when stratified as 0-2 months versus > 2 months of age. The only difference in outcomes between groups when stratified as 0-3 months versus > 3 months of age was the mean percentage change in CI at helmet removal (18% ± 8% vs 15% ± 7%, p = 0.044). Patients requiring transfusion were likely to be younger (median age 2 vs 3 months, p = 0.028). ROC curve analysis identified an age cut-point of 3.75 months as optimal for achieving the target CI correction at the final follow-up (AUC 0.58) and 2.75 months for transfusion avoidance (AUC 0.65).

Patients > 3 months of age may benefit from ESS for sagittal craniosynostosis. Further investigation is warranted to identify the optimal age for surgery and to investigate other variables influencing outcomes.