Sinonasal anatomical analysis of nonsyndromic bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis using computed tomography

Abstract

Background: Craniosynostosis is a skull deformity associated with the premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures. In children with syndromic craniosynostosis, anomalies related to the cranial base and midface contribute to midface hypoplasia, which affects the diameter of the axial facial concavity. Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis, particularly bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis, may result in abnormal facial proportions and affect sinonasal anatomy.

Objective: This study aimed to determine and analyze morphometric measurement values in the sinonasal cavity of patients with nonsyndromic bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 91 children, aged 0 - 10 years, who underwent computed tomography (CT) at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital between January 2010 and November 2022, including 21 children with nonsyndromic bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis and 70 controls. The following diameters were measured: anterior bony width (ABW), bony choanal aperture width (BCAW), right posterior bony width (RPBW), and left posterior bony width (LPBW). The study group was further divided into four age groups.

Results: The BCAW, RPBW, and LPBW of the nasal cavity in patients with bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis, aged 0–12 months, were significantly lower than those of the control group. The RPBW and LPBW in the study group, aged > 72 months, were also significantly lower. All measurements were not dependent on children’s sex.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that children with nonsyndromic bilateral coronal craniosynostosis exhibited lower diameters of the bony choanal aperture than healthy children.