BACKGROUND: The significance of Chiari malformation in nonsyndromal-isolated craniosynostosis is still not well documented. Hence, in the present study we investigated the incidence of Chiari malformation in a larger series of patients with nonsyndromic-isolated single-suture craniosynostosis over a 9-year period using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Of 215 children who had undergone surgery for nonsyndromic-isolated craniosynostosis, 89 cases (41.4 %) had MRI prior to surgery. All MRIs were screened for Chiari malformation. RESULTS: Only one patient (1.1 %) with isolated lambdoid synostosis showed Chiari malformation preoperatively, which was defined as a cerebellar tonsillar descent greater than 5 mm below the foramen magnum. However, no clinical symptoms were associated with Chiari malformation in this patient. CONCLUSIONS: As Chiari malformation is more likely to be associated with syndromic craniosynostosis, nonsyndromic bilateral coronal synostosis, or synostosis of the lambdoid suture, a general use of MRI as a screening tool for Chiari malformation should not be recommended for patients with nonsyndromic-isolated craniosynostosis who lack clinical symptoms.
BACKGROUND: The significance of Chiari malformation in nonsyndromal-isolated craniosynostosis is still not well documented. Hence, in the present study we investigated the incidence of Chiari malformation in a larger series of patients with nonsyndromic-isolated single-suture craniosynostosis over a 9-year period using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Of 215 children who had undergone surgery for nonsyndromic-isolated craniosynostosis, 89 cases (41.4 %) had MRI prior to surgery. All MRIs were screened for Chiari malformation. RESULTS: Only one patient (1.1 %) with isolated lambdoid synostosis showed Chiari malformation preoperatively, which was defined as a cerebellar tonsillar descent greater than 5 mm below the foramen magnum. However, no clinical symptoms were associated with Chiari malformation in this patient. CONCLUSIONS: As Chiari malformation is more likely to be associated with syndromic craniosynostosis, nonsyndromic bilateral coronal synostosis, or synostosis of the lambdoid suture, a general use of MRI as a screening tool for Chiari malformation should not be recommended for patients with nonsyndromic-isolated craniosynostosis who lack clinical symptoms.
Authors: Francesco Giovanni Sgulò; Pietro Spennato; Ferdinando Aliberti; Giuliana Di Martino; Daniele Cascone; Giuseppe Cinalli Journal: Childs Nerv Syst Date: 2016-07-22 Impact factor: 1.475
Authors: Amani Ali Davis; Giulio Zuccoli; Mostafa M Haredy; Lauren Runkel; Joseph Losee; Ian F Pollack; Mandeep S Tamber; Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara; Jesse A Goldstein; Ken-K Nischal Journal: Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open Date: 2019-02-12