Value of computed tomography in the evaluation of craniosynostosis

Forty-seven patients with abnormal cranial shape and the clinical diagnosis of craniosynostosis were assessed by computed tomography (CT). In 13 patients the diagnosis of craniosynostosis was established on the basis of skull radiographs and radionuclide bone scans. Eight out of 13 patients had normal cerebral anatomy demonstrated by CT. In four of the 13 patients CT revealed abnormalities not amenable to surgical correction. The only patient in whom CT scanning influenced therapy presented with elevated intracranial pressure secondary to shunt failure.