Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Craniosynostosis Repair
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Craniosynostosis Repair
Context: Craniosynostosis is a common craniofacial abnormality which can be associated with
 various clinical syndromes. Though it has been established that children with
 craniosynostosis score lower on certain developmental tests, the effect of craniosynostosis
 and cranioplasty surgery on the neural circuitry and brain development is less well known or
 understood.

 Objectives: The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of cranial vault remodeling
 in children with craniosynostosis on white matter tracts with tractography and Diffusion
 tensor imaging (DTI), functional MRI, and neurodevelopmental tests, before and after surgery
 as compared to age-matched controls.

 Study Design: This will be a prospective study of patients diagnosed with craniosynostosis
 and who are going to have open or endoscopic cranial vault remodeling (CVR).

 Study Measures: The study will measure MRI sequences before and after surgery and at set time
 intervals to quantify the effect of white matter tract maturity. Parallel to this,
 neurodevelopmental tests will be administered at these same intervals.
Craniosynostosis, the premature ossification and fusion of one or more cranial sutures, is a
 common craniofacial abnormality occurring in 1 of 2,000 live births. 1 2 Craniosynostosis can
 lead to increased intra-cranial pressure in between 12-50% of those affected which may have
 delayed neuro developmental implications.

 The crucial neurodevelopment occurs in the first years of life and is most rapidly
 progressing during the first year of life. Premature closure of the cranial sutures decrease
 the intracranial volume and space available for the rapidly developing brain. Cranial vault
 remodeling (CVR) is the current standard of care to mitigate any possible developmental delay
 secondary to craniosynostosis and also improve the head shape. CVR is a combined surgery
 between the neurosurgeon who takes off the cranial bone/bones, and the craniofacial surgeon
 who assists and reconstructs the cranium with absorbable plates and screws.

 After surgery, although there is no doubt that there is an improvement in head shape, the
 craniofacial skeleton and the soft tissues, but there is less data, and virtually no
 functional imaging information available addressing the effect of CVR surgery on the growing
 brain.

 The main objective of this project would be to begin to explore the relationship of CVR and
 it requisite effects on the growing brain with a cohort of patients who are set to undergo
 CVR, while performing a battery of neurodevelopmental and imaging studies pre- and
 post-operatively and compare with normative controls. This is one part of a three-center
 study collaborating with craniofacial units at Yale University and Wake Forest University in
 which similar, if not identical protocols will be carried out. We hope that analyses of these
 data will provide better insight into and greater definition of the effect of CVR and the
 secondarily available increase in intra-cranial volume on the growing brain in the clinical
 setting of craniosynostosis.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Up to 500 children, for all subjects, age of initial study entry: one test group
 between 3-6 months old( endoscopic assisted) , and the other 6-24 months of age ( open
 CVR) ) once enrolled, children will be included until 4 years of age.

 -  Diagnosed with craniosynostosis, single or multiple suture

 -  Babies with craniosynostosis syndrome including but not limited to Pfieffers, Aperts,
 Crouzons,and Menkes.

 -  Approximately 60 age-matched controls (3 in each group) not diagnosed with
 craniosynostosis syndrome, stratified by age groups starting at 3 months, 5 months, 7
 months, 9 month 11 months, 13 months, 15 months, 17 months, 19 months, then every 3
 months, 22 months, 25 months, 28 months, 31 months, 34 months, 37 months,40 months,43
 months,46 months,49 months.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Children not meeting the inclusion criteria

 -  Children with traumatic brain injury, brain cancer, or VP shunt that could affect
 development.

 -  Children who have already undergone CVR repair

 -  Developmentally Normal children who cannot undergo or cannot be still for an awake or
 asleep non-sedated MRI