Severity of skull malformation is unrelated to presurgery neurobehavioral status of infants with sagittal synostosis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between severity of scaphocephalic skull malformation and neurodevelopmental status prior to cranioplasty.


METHODS
Seventy-five infants with single-suture sagittal craniosynostosis (median age, 4.5 months) referred to the Infant Learning Project, a prospective, multisite, longitudinal study to evaluate neurocognitive development.


METHODS
Scaphocephaly severity indices were used to quantify synostotic skull shape from computed tomography scans. Infants were assessed with the mental (MDI) and motor scales (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the receptive (PLS-AC) and expressive (PLS-EC) language scales of the Preschool Language Scale.


RESULTS
No association between skull shape and neurodevelopmental status was found.


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of association between skull shape and neurodevelopment in infancy may indicate that the presurgical degree of scaphocephaly has little or no direct effect on brain development. Alternatively, such relationships, if they exist, may be evident only at older ages. Finally, it also is possible that aspects of skull malformation not measured in this study may be related to neuropsychological functioning.
Ruiz-Correa
Salvador
S
Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
Starr
Jacqueline R
JR
Lin
H Jill
HJ
Kapp-Simon
Kathleen A
KA
Cunningham
Michael L
ML
Speltz
Matthew L
ML
D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003398:Craniosynostoses / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed