GROWTH OF THE CRANIAL VAULT IN RABBITS WITH CONGENITAL CORONAL SUTURESYNOSTOSIS

Craniofacial growth data from craniosynostotic children have shown tha t suture immobilization results in predictable restrictions of cranial vault growth in a direction perpendicular to the affected suture and compensatory growth at sutures perpendicular to the affected one, This study tests these predictions by using rabbits with nonsyndromic cong enital coronal suture synostosis, Data were collected from 96 rabbits divided into three groups: 42 unaffected litter mate controls, 33 part ially synostosed rabbits, and 21 completely synostosed rabbits, Marker s were placed bilaterally on either side of the vault sutures at 1.5 w eeks of age, Serial radiographs were taken at 1.5, 6, 12, and 18 weeks of age for assessment of growth at the vault sutures and of various c ranial landmarks, Results revealed that completely synostosed animals had significantly (p < .05) shorter cranial vaults, reduced growth at the coronal suture, and increased growth at the sagittal, frontal, and squamosal sutures compared with unaffected rabbits. Results also show ed that the calvarial growth observed in this craniosynostotic rabbit model closely reflects predicted compensatory patterns seen in human c linical populations and that this rabbit model is valuable for underst anding the pathogeneses and craniofacial growth patterns of humans wit h premature cranial suture synostosis.