Spiral CT evaluation of the craniosynostoses

Craniosynostoses are defined as the premature closure of one or more suture s of the cranial bones. The resulting craniofacial deformities may be assoc iated with neurologic complications owing to the disproportion between the growing brain and the limited content of the intracranial cavity. Plain sku ll radiographs are often contributive to the diagnosis. However, they may n ot be sufficient to detect early cases and to properly evaluate the more co mplex cases. Computed tomography has been proved to be move efficient in th e pretherapeutic evaluation. The authors present here their results in the spiral computed tomographic evaluation of primary and syndromic craniosynos tosis, based on a prospective series of 26 patients. The radiologic finding s are presented. They have been found here to be similar to those previousl y described on sequential acquisitions. Spiral computed tomography was foun d to provide better information then did plain radiographs in 5 cases. The values of the helical aquisition as well as tridimensional reconstructions are discussed.