Changes in venous drainage after posterior cranial vault distraction and foramen magnum decompression in syndromic craniosynostosis. 2022

Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
Departments of1Pediatric Neurosurgery.

OBJECTIVE The authors' objective was to measure the effect of posterior cranial vault distraction (PCVD) plus foramen magnum decompression (FMD) on dural sinus volume and venous flow in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis. METHODS The volumes of the sagittal, straight, transverse, and sigmoid sinuses of 5 consecutive patients with syndromic craniosynostosis who underwent PCVD+FMD were calculated in cubic centimeters with T2-weighted volumetric MRI sequences before surgery, immediately after surgery, and after the end of the distraction process. Tridimensional reconstructions of phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (PC-MRA) images were obtained with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR). RESULTS The average total volume of all dural sinuses increased immediately after surgery (from 10.06 cm3 to 12.64 cm3) and continued to increase throughout the 30-day distraction period (from 12.64 cm3 to 14.71 cm3) (p = 0.04), except that the right sigmoid sinus remained stable after the initial increase. The most important increases were observed for the left transverse sinus (+113.2%), right transverse sinus (+104.3%), left sigmoid sinus (+91.3%), and sagittal sinus (+41.8%). Less important modifications were evident for the right sigmoid sinus (+33.7%) and straight sinus (+23.4%). Significant improvements in venous flow were noted on the tridimensional reconstructions of the PC-MRA images. Venous obstruction grading score improved in 4 patients (average [range] 2.4 [ 2-5]) (p = 0.023) and remained stable in 1 patient. All patients had chronic tonsillar herniation (CTH) (mean [range] 16.6 [8-26] mm), and 3 had syringomyelia. CTH showed improvement on the last follow-up MRI evaluation in 4 patients (mean [range] 10.5 [0-25] mm) and worsened from 15 mm to 19 mm in 1 patient. Syringomyelia improved in 2 patients and remained unchanged in 1. CONCLUSIONS This study has provided the first radiological evidence of the impact of craniofacial surgery on dural sinus anatomy and venous drainage. The venous anomalies described in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis are not static, and PCVD+FMD triggers a dynamic process that can lead to significant modifications of intracranial venous drainage. The traction exerted by the distracted bone flap onto the occipitoparietal dura mater adherent to the inner calvaria may account for the enlargement of the dural sinus throughout the distraction period. The impact of these modifications on venous pressure, intracranial pressure, CTH, and hydrocephalus remains to be determined.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
March 2017, Zhonghua zheng xing wai ke za zhi = Zhonghua zhengxing waike zazhi = Chinese journal of plastic surgery,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
January 2017, Journal of pediatric neurosciences,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
December 2023, Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
February 2012, Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
November 2011, Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
May 2016, Plastic and reconstructive surgery,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
September 2016, Craniomaxillofacial trauma & reconstruction,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
January 2012, Annals of maxillofacial surgery,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
January 1995, Pediatric neurosurgery,
Giuseppe Cinalli, and Carmela Russo, and Francesca Vitulli, and Raffaele Stefano Parlato, and Pietro Spennato, and Alessia Imperato, and Mario Quarantelli, and Eugenio Covelli, and Ferdinando Aliberti
January 2015, The Journal of craniofacial surgery,
Copied contents to your clipboard!