The Role of Virtual Surgical Planning in Surgery for Complex Craniosynostosis.

Background: Virtual surgical planning (VSP) decreases reliance on intraoperative subjective assessment of aesthetic and functional outcomes in craniofacial surgery. Here, we describe our experience of using VSP for complex craniosynostosis surgery to inform preoperative decision making and optimize postoperative outcomes. Methods: Chart review was performed for children treated with craniosynostosis at our institution from 2015 to 2021. Eight VSP maneuvers were defined and assigned to each patient when applicable: (1) complex cranioplasty: combined autologous and synthetic; (2) autologous cranioplasty; (3) synthetic cranioplasty; (4) vector analysis and distractor placement; (5) complex osteotomies; (6) multilayered intraoperative plans; (7) volume analysis; and (8) communication with parents. Outcomes between VSP and non-VSP cohorts were compared. Results: Of 166 total cases, 32 were considered complex, defined by multisutural craniosynostosis, syndromic craniosynostosis, or revision status. Of these complex cases, 20 underwent VSP and 12 did not. There was no difference in mean operative time between the VSP and non-VSP groups (541 versus 532 min, P = 0.82) or in unexpected return to operating room (10.5% versus 8.3%, P = 0.84). VSP was most often used to communicate the surgical plan with parents (90%) and plan complex osteotomies (85%). Conclusions: In this cohort, VSP was most often used to communicate the surgical plan with families and plan complex osteotomies. Our results indicate that VSP may improve intraoperative efficiency and safety for complex craniosynostosis surgery. This tool can be considered a useful adjunct to plan and guide intraoperative decisions in complex cases, reducing variability and guiding parental expectations.

Management of Total Frontal Bone Loss After Surgery for Craniosynostosis: The Modified Visor Bone Flap With Brain Cage.

Complications after craniosynostosis surgery occur in 11% to 36% of cases and may be precipitated by poor soft tissue coverage and concomitant exposure of non-sterile regions; sequelae may result in infection, osteomyelitis, and bone loss requiring complex reconstruction. In the pediatric population, autologous cranioplasty remains the gold standard due to growth potential and a more favorable complication profile than synthetic cranioplasty. Virtual surgery planning (VSP) and computer-assisted design (CAD)/computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) technology can be utilized to create innovative, patient-specific autologous solutions, similar to the approach with synthetic cranioplasty. A novel surgical approach using VSP was used for an 18-month-old female with near total bifrontal bone loss. Surface area measurements were used to determine the amount of bone available to replace the infected frontal bone. VSP was utilized to determine the most efficient construct configuration possible to achieve maximal coverage via calculation of cranial bone surface area measurements. Surgical reconstruction of the defect was planned as a Modified Visor Bone Flap with Posterior Brain Cage. A construct was fashioned from available cranial bone struts to obtain widespread coverage. 3D Recon images from before and after surgery demonstrate almost complete re-ossification of the cranial vault with significant resulting clinical improvement. Reconstruction of total frontal bone loss is possible by utilizing this technique. VSP can improve the safety and efficiency of complex autologous cranial bone reconstructions. We propose a treatment algorithm to address the problem of near total frontal bone loss in young children for whom alloplastic implants are not suitable.

Comparative Analysis of 2D and 3D Metrics for Evaluation of Postoperative Outcomes Following Endoscopic Suturectomy for Sagittal Craniosynostosis.

To assess whether 3-dimensional (3D) volumetrics can be used to track and evaluate postoperative course of patients treated with endoscopic suturectomy for nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis, we compared changes in 2-dimensional (2D) measurements along with 3D volumetric correlates throughout the period of helmet therapy. Forty-six patients treated at our institution with endoscopic suturectomy for sagittal synostosis were retrospectively reviewed. Head circumference (HC), cephalic index (CI), and total cranial volumes (TCVs) were measured at 3 timepoints following surgery using optical surface scans obtained for helmet orthotics. All measurements showed significant differences between timepoints on the analysis of variance ( P <0.001). There was a significant correlation between CI and TCV (r=0.35, P =0.004) and between HC and TCV (r=0.81, P <0.001). The normalized rate of change over the course of treatment was significantly higher for TCV (36.7%) than for CI (8.8%) and HC (8.4%, P <0.001), with no difference between HC and CI. The authors conclude that 3D metrics were able to reliably follow the course of postoperative 2D metrics. There was a direct and linear correlation between HC and CI with TCV. Total cranial volumes showed the highest rate of sustained change at every timepoint. Although CI and HC plateau after the first measurement, TCV continues to adapt over the course of treatment. These results demonstrate the feasibility and value of volumetrics from 3D imaging to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of postoperative surgical outcomes than traditional 2D metrics without the ionizing radiation traditionally utilized for CT to obtain 3D metrics.

A Retrospective Analysis of the Impact of Health Disparities on Treatment for Single Suture Craniosynostosis Before and During the Pandemic.

Candidates for endoscopic treatment for craniosynostosis must be less than 6 months old. Given the narrow window of eligibility, there is potential for barriers to access to impact the type of surgery a patient receives. We hypothesized that COVID may worsen these potential disparities.Charts were reviewed for children with single suture craniosynostosis from January 2014 to March 2020 (pre-COVID cohort) and March 2020 to September 2021 (COVID cohort) from 2 academic centers.110 children were in the pre-COVID group; 56 were treated open and 54 endoscopically. Of the 44 patients in the COVID cohort, 20 were treated endoscopically and 24 were treated open. There was no significant difference in age of presentation or age of surgery across cohorts when considering type of surgery performed. Rate of endoscopy in the pre-COVID versus COVID cohorts was not significantly different. In both the pre-COVID and COVID cohorts there were significant differences between age of presentation, age of surgery, and type of surgery received based on race-black and Hispanic patients presented later, had surgery later, and underwent open surgery more frequently than their white/Asian counterparts (P = .0095, P = .0067).The pandemic did not alter age of presentation/age of surgery or rates of patients receiving endoscopic surgery in patients with single suture craniosynostosis. There was no relationship between insurance status and type of surgery received during the pandemic, however Hispanic and black patients presented later and underwent surgery at an older age compared to white/Asian patients as they did pre-pandemic.

Examining the Role of Early Diagnostic Imaging for Craniosynostosis in the Era of Endoscopic Suturectomy: A Single Institution Experience.

ABSTRACT: Endoscopic suturectomy is a minimally invasive surgical treatment for single-suture craniosynostosis in children between 1 and 4 months of age. This study sought to characterize the role played by diagnostic imaging in facilitating early surgical management with endoscopic suturectomy. The authors also characterized the overall diagnostic utility of imaging in patients assessed for abnormal head shape at their institution, regardless of surgical status. A retrospective cohort of children diagnosed with singlesuture synostosis undergoing either primary endoscopic suturectomy or open calvarial reconstruction at the authors' institution from 1998 to 2018 was first reviewed. Of 132 surgical patients, 53 underwent endoscopic suturectomy and 79 underwent open repair. There was no difference in the proportion of endoscopic and open surgery patients imaged preoperatively before (24.5% versus 35.4%; P = 0.24) or after (28.3% versus 25.3%; P = 0.84) craniofacial assessment. Stratifying by historical epoch (1998-2010 versus 2011-2018), there was also no difference found between preoperative imaging rates (63.6% versus 56.4%; P = 0.35). In another cohort of 175 patients assessed for abnormal head shape, 26.9% were imaged to rule out craniosynostosis. Positive diagnostic imaging rates were recorded for suspected unicoronal (100%), metopic (87.5%), lambdoidal (75.0%), sagittal (63.5%), multisuture (50%), and bicoronal (0%) synostosis. The authors conclude that the use of diagnostic imaging at their institution has not increased despite higher utilization of endoscopic suturectomy and need for expedient identification of surgical candidates.However, their results suggest that imaging may play a greater diagnostic role for suspected bicoronal, sagittal, and multi-sutural synostosis among sutural subtypes of synostosis.

Outcomes of a virtual craniofacial clinic for assessing plagiocephaly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to carry out a quantitative analysis of a virtual craniofacial clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The charts of 90 patients from a single institution were reviewed. Of these patients, 45 visited the virtual clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The other 45 patients visited the clinic in the 3 months prior to COVID-19. Demographics including the mean age at the visit, chief complaint, visit diagnosis, appointment duration, helmet usage, accuracy of the diagnosis, need for a CT scan, and the need for a follow-up appointment were assessed. Diagnostic accuracy, the frequency of follow-up appointments, and patient satisfaction (via survey), as well as additional associated factors, were analyzed to determine the efficacy and satisfaction associated with the virtual clinic approach. RESULTS: The mean patient age at time of the visit was 5.6 and 7.3 months (p = 0.244), and the mean time from referral to appointment was 19.2 and 19 days (p = 0.934), in the in-person and virtual cohorts, respectively. There was no significant difference in the variety of chief complaints between the in-person and virtual visits, with 97.8% and 93.3% of patients' parents reporting abnormal head shape, respectively, and the remainder reporting more infrequent complaints (p = 0.435). The visit diagnosis was plagiocephaly in 93.3% of the in-person cohort and 80.0% of the virtual cohort (p = 0.118). The final diagnosis exhibited a similar pattern, with 95.6% of the in-person cohort and 88.9% of the virtual cohort observed as positional plagiocephaly; the remaining diagnoses were more infrequent (p = 0.434). The most common alternative diagnosis in the virtual visit cohort was a metopic ridge (8.4%). In the in-person visit cohort, the most common alternative diagnosis was equally a benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space in infancy, scalp mass, and skull lesion (2.2% each). None of the patients in either cohort were diagnosed with synostosis. Eighty percent of the in-person visits were 15 to 30 minutes in duration, with the remaining 20% being 31 minutes or longer; virtual visits were all 30 minutes or less, with 95.6% being 15 to 30 minutes (p = 0.002). Helmets were prescribed for 2 patients in the in-person cohort and no patients in the virtual cohort (p = 0.494). Alterations in diagnosis were made in 2.2% of in-person visits and 6.7% of virtual visits (p = 0.616). Follow-up was required in 15.6% of the in-person visits and 31.1% of the virtual visits (p = 0.134). CT was only utilized twice, once in the in-person visit cohort and once in the virtual visit cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual clinic encounters resulted in comparable diagnostic accuracy. The trend toward frequent follow-up assessments and changes in the final diagnosis in the virtual clinic cohort has indicated a level of diagnostic uncertainty via the virtual interface, which required in-person assessment for confirmation. This finding did not contribute toward diagnostic inaccuracy with respect to missed synostosis. The study results have indicated that telemedicine can be an effective modality in assessing craniofacial pathology.