title: Morphometric comparison of foramen magnum in non-syndromic craniosynostosis patients with or without Chiari I malformation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to compare the morphometry of foramen magnum (FM) in a matched-pair study, in children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis with and without Chiari I malformation (CMI), both brain magnetic resonance (MRI) and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) images were utilized.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brain MR images were retrieved from the Helsinki University Hospital Picture Archiving and Communications System to identify patients with CMI during 1.1.2004 to 31.3.2009. Age-, gender-, and craniosynostosis-matched controls were retrieved from the same cohort. Morphometric analysis of FM was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven patients with non-syndromic craniosynostosis with CMI were recorded. In CMI patients, the absolute anteroposterior length was 33.4 mm as compared to 36.7 mm in controls (p = 0.023). The mean width was 28.1 and 29.9 mm (p = 0.29), and the cross-sectional area was 654.1 and 764.9 mm(2) (p = 0.11) in CMI and controls, respectively. In CMI patients, the relative anteroposterior length of the FM was, on average, 91 % of the control's measurements. On average, the width was 95 % and the cross-sectional area was 88 % of the control's results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In pediatric non-syndromic craniosynostosis patients, a statistically significant reduced anteroposterior diameter of the FM is found in patients with an adjacent CMI as compared to their age-, gender-, and type-matched controls of craniosynostosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. junnu.leikola@hus.fi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leikola
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Haapamäki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karppinen
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Koljonen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hukki
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valanne
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koivikko
mesh_terms: D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000473:pathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000473:pathology; D003398:Craniosynostoses / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005539:Foramen Magnum / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male