Postoperative follow-up study of craniosynostosis using three-dimensional surface reconstruction CT (3D-CT)

In 1983, Michael W. Vannier and Jeffrey L. Marsh developed a computer method that reconstructs three-dimensional images from high-resolution CT-scan series of the facial skeleton. This method has been applied to craniofacial anomalies, basal encephalocele, and other skeletal pathologies. In this study, the postoperative assessment of craniofacial surgical results has been accomplished using 3D-CT techniques in craniosynostosis. The results are as follows: 1) Postoperative 3D-CTs reveal the bony anatomical details corrected by the craniofacial surgery more precisely and more stereographically than do conventional radiological techniques. 2) Secondary changes in the cranium after the surgery, such as reossification at the area of osteotomies or postoperative asymmetric skull deformities, are more early detected by the 3D-CT imaging technique than by a craniogram. 3) In 3D-CT images, internal views of the skull, such mid-sagittal, rear internal, or top axial views of the intracranial skull base, are most useful in postoperative assessments of the surgical results and of postoperative secondary changes in the cranium. Based on our experience, we expect that 3D-CT imaging techniques will become more important in the management of craniosynostosis. (author)