Long-term results in nonsyndromatic unilateral coronal synostosis treated with fronto-orbital advancement

Abstract

Children with unilateral isolated coronal suture synostosis suffer from frontal plagiocephaly. In this retrospective study we analyzed 21 patients who were treated with an identical and standardized surgical technique of fronto-orbital advancement with hypercorrection with an average follow-up of 57.5 months. The median age at surgery was 12.1 months. The median average amount of blood loss during the operation was less than 188 ml. Not a single major complication was observed. According to the classification of Whitaker, 15 patients had a Class 1 outcome, with excellent surgical results. Three patients were defined as Class 2 outcome. One of our patients was Class 3 and two patients were Class 4 because of severe forehead retrusion and temporal hollowing. Re-operation rate was 14.3%. 67% of our patients showed a correction or an improvement of the typical C-shaped deformity in their follow-up examination. Aesthetic outcomes were excellent in 13, good in 5, and poor in 3 of cases, as judged by their families and the craniofacial team. Unilateral coronal synostosis can be successfully treated by fronto-orbital advancement with a low complication rate and an excellent clinical outcome. To minimize the need of re-operations, fronto-orbital advancement should be performed with an overcorrection on the affected side.

Keywords: C-shaped deformity; Coronal suture synostosis; Fronto-orbital advancement; Plagiocephaly.