Growth curves for intracranial volume in normal Asian children fortify management of craniosynostosis

Methodology for pediatric head computed tomography image segmentation and volumetric calculation using a tablet computer and stylus pen

PURPOSE

This study presents a MATrix LABoratory (MATLAB)-based methodology for calculating intracranial volumes from head computed tomography (CT) data and compares it with established methods.

METHODS

Regions of interest (ROI) were manually segmented on CT images using a stylus pen, facilitated by mirroring a computer desktop onto a tablet. The volumetric process involved three main steps: (1) calculating the volume of a single voxel, (2) counting the total number of voxels within the segmented ROI, and (3) multiplying this voxel count by the single-voxel volume. This method was applied to 83 pediatric head CT scans from patients with minor head trauma, and the volumetric results were compared with those obtained from OsiriX.

RESULTS

A paired t-test revealed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between volumes obtained with our MATLAB-based method and those from OsiriX, with our method measuring 0.32% higher. However, an unpaired t-test found no statistically significant differences between the volumetric population groups (p = 0.84).

CONCLUSION

The significant difference identified by the paired t-test likely reflects statistical distinctions arising from differences in the calculation methods of the two approaches. Conversely, the unpaired t-test suggests no statistically detectable differences between the volumetric populations. Although this does not imply that the two methods produce identical results, the volumetric populations derived from our method may originate from the same underlying population as those obtained using OsiriX. By taking these points into account, our method has the potential to serve as a valuable tool for volumetric measurements.

Allometry of human calvaria bones during development from birth to 8 years of age shows a nonlinear growth pattern

Pediatric skulls change rapidly in size and shape during development, especially for children up to 8 years of age. This project was developed to address the gap in understanding of the three-dimensional growth parameters of the human skull during this period and the impact these growth patterns have on fontanelle closure and suture formation. This study offers novel data on the dynamic changes in the anatomy of the skull with the intention of providing better guidance for pediatric surgical care. Craniometric landmarks defined on three-dimensional computed tomography reconstructions were used to map skull development in children aged 0 to 8 years old. A total of 364 datasets were analyzed and statistically representative 3D skulls with anatomical craniometric features such as head shape, bone size, suture and fontanelle closure time were generated for 17 age groups spanning birth to 8 years of age to provide a comprehensive neuroanatomical understanding of how the pediatric skull changes over time. This study indicates that the cranial bones follow a non-linear growth pattern, with the occipital and frontal bones driving the directionality of fontanelle closure and delivers a 3D visualization of the developmental characteristics of the skull providing a landmark resource for understanding the growth dynamics of the human skull. While clinical measurements remain valid approaches for the planning of surgical interventions, these 3D models may provide a more accurate planning paradigm.

Characterization of cranial growth patterns using craniometric parameters and best-fit logarithmic growth curves

Few studies have reported a complete quantitative database of cranial growth, from infancy to adulthood, as a reference through three-dimensional analysis. Our study aimed to characterize cranial growth patterns using craniometric parameters by establishing sex- and age-specific norms. In total, 1009 Korean patients (male-to-female ratio, 2:1; age range, 0-18 years) who underwent thin-slice computed tomography (CT) scans for head trauma were divided into 20 age groups, with a 6-month interval for those under 2 years and a 1-year interval for those over 2 years. After four reference planes [Frankfurt horizontal (FH), midsagittal, and two coronal planes passing the sella (S) and basion (B)] had been established, intracranial volume (ICV), anteroposterior diameter (APD), biparietal diameter (BPD), cranial heights (CHs), cephalic index (CI, BPD/APD), and height index (HI, CH-B/APD) were measured using Mimics software. Best-fit logarithmic curves were derived using a linear regression model. The best-fit curves for ICV (cm3) were y = 785.6 + 157*ln(age) for males (R2 = 0.5752) and y = 702 + 150.5*ln(age) for females (R2 = 0.6517). After adjustment for age, males had higher values of ICV, APD, BPD, and CHs than females (all p < 0.0001). ICV, APD, BPD, and CHs demonstrated a rapid increase during the first few months of life, reaching 90-95% of the adult size by 5-6 years of age, while CI and HI showed a continuous decline by 4%, regardless of sex. This study presented cranial growth references for more than 1000 of the Korean population aged up to 18 years. This might help to provide guidelines for diagnosis and treatment (including timing, amount, and direction) for cranial reconstruction in pediatric patients with craniosynostosis.

Data-driven cranial suture growth model enables predicting phenotypes of craniosynostosis

We present the first data-driven pediatric model that explains cranial sutural growth in the pediatric population. We segmented the cranial bones in the neurocranium from the cross-sectional CT images of 2068 normative subjects (age 0-10 years), and we used a 2D manifold-based cranial representation to establish local anatomical correspondences between subjects guided by the location of the cranial sutures. We designed a diffeomorphic spatiotemporal model of cranial bone development as a function of local sutural growth rates, and we inferred its parameters statistically from our cross-sectional dataset. We used the constructed model to predict growth for 51 independent normative patients who had longitudinal images. Moreover, we used our model to simulate the phenotypes of single suture craniosynostosis, which we compared to the observations from 212 patients. We also evaluated the accuracy predicting personalized cranial growth for 10 patients with craniosynostosis who had pre-surgical longitudinal images. Unlike existing statistical and simulation methods, our model was inferred from real image observations, explains cranial bone expansion and displacement as a consequence of sutural growth and it can simulate craniosynostosis. This pediatric cranial suture growth model constitutes a necessary tool to study abnormal development in the presence of cranial suture pathology.

Evaluating Cranial Growth in Japanese Infants Using a Three-dimensional Scanner: Relationship between Growth-related Parameters and Deformational Plagiocephaly

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the longitudinal changes in the cranial shape of healthy Japanese infants using a three-dimensional scanner and construct a normal values database for the growth process. Preterm infants (gestational age < 37 weeks), infants with neonatal asphyxia (5-minute Apgar score of <7), and patients who started helmet therapy for deformational plagiocephaly were excluded from this study. The first scan was performed at approximately 1 month of age, followed by two scans conducted at 3 and 6 months of age. The parameters considered were as follows: cranial length, width, height, circumference, volume, cranial vault asymmetry index, and cephalic index. A cranial vault asymmetry index >5% was defined as deformational plagiocephaly. Changes in each parameter were examined using repeated-measures analysis of variance classified by sex and deformational plagiocephaly status. The rate of increase in each parameter was also examined. In total, 88 infants (45 boys and 43 girls) were included in this study. All growth-related parameters were noted to increase linearly with time. Sex differences were observed in all parameters except cranial length. Deformational plagiocephaly was found to have no effect on growth-related parameters. Cranial volume increased by 60% from 1 to 6 months of age. The growth almost uniformly influenced the rate of increase in volume in each coordinate axis direction. Overall, the mean trends in three-dimensional parameters in infants up to 6 months of age were obtained using a three-dimensional scanner. These trends could be used as a guide by medical professionals involved in cranioplasty.

Craniofacial Growth and Asymmetry in Newborns: A Longitudinal 3D Assessment

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the development of the craniofacial region in healthy infants and analyze the asymmetry pattern in the first year of life.

METHODS

The participants were grouped by sex and age (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months) to receive three-dimensional (3D) photographs. Stereoscopic craniofacial photos were captured and transformed into a series of craniofacial meshes in each group. The growth patterns of the anthropometric indices and the degree of craniofacial asymmetry were measured, and average craniofacial meshes and color-asymmetry maps with craniofacial asymmetry scores were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 373 photographs from 66 infants were obtained. In both genders, the highest and lowest growth rates for all anthropometric indices were noted between 1 and 2 months and between 9 and 12 months, respectively. Overall, male infants had higher anthropometric indices, head volume, and head circumference than female infants. The craniofacial asymmetry score was presented with a descending pattern from 1 to 12 months of age in both sex groups. Both sex groups showed decreased left-sided laterality in the temporal-parietal-occipital region between 1 and 4 months of age and increased right frontal-temporal prominence between 6 and 12 months of age.

CONCLUSIONS

A longitudinal evaluation of the craniofacial growth of healthy infants during their first year of life was presented.

Intracranial Volumes of Healthy Children in the First 3 Years of Life: An Analysis of 270 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of data on normal intracranial volumes for healthy children during the first few years of life, when cranial growth velocity is greatest. The aim of this study was to generate a normative predictive model of intracranial volumes based on brain magnetic resonance imaging from a large sample of healthy children to serve as a reference tool for future studies on craniosynostosis.

METHODS

Structural magnetic resonance imaging data for healthy children up to 3 years of age was acquired from the National Institutes of Health Pediatric MRI Data Repository. Intracranial volumes were calculated using T1-weighted scans with FreeSurfer (version 6.0.0). Mean intracranial volumes were calculated and best-fit logarithmic curves were generated. Results were compared to previously published intracranial volume curves.

RESULTS

Two-hundred seventy magnetic resonance imaging scans were available: 118 were collected in the first year of life, 97 were collected between years 1 and 2, and 55 were collected between years 2 and 3. A best-fit logarithmic growth curve was generated for male and female patients. The authors' regression models showed that male patients had significantly greater intracranial volumes than female patients after 1 month of age. Predicted intracranial volumes were also greater in male and female patients in the first 6 months of life as compared to previously published intracranial volume curves.

CONCLUSIONS

To the authors' knowledge, this is the largest series of demographically representative magnetic resonance imaging-based intracranial volumes for children aged 3 years and younger. The model generated in this study can be used by investigators as a reference for evaluating craniosynostosis patients.

Growth Curves for Intracranial Volume and Two-dimensional Parameters for Japanese Children without Cranial Abnormality: Toward Treatment of Craniosynostosis

In the management of patients with craniosynostosis, it is important to understand growth curve of the normal cranium. Although three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) images taken in thin slices are easily available nowadays, data on the growth curves of intracranial volume (ICV), cranial length, cranial width, and cranial height in the normal cranium are mainly based on older studies using radiography, and there are insufficient reports using CT images especially taken in thin slices. The purpose of this study was to establish growth curves in the normal cranium of Japanese children using thin-slice images. Cranial images of 106 subjects (57 males, 49 females; aged 0-83 months) without significant cranial abnormalities were retrospectively analyzed. Using thin-slice CT images, the ICV and two-dimensional parameters such as cranial length, cranial width, and cranial height were measured by iPlan, followed by generating growth curves and calculating cephalic index (CI). ICV calculated from thin-slice CT images was compared with that obtained by substituting two-dimensional parameters into Mackinnon formula. The ICV growth curves for males and females were similar in shape. As with the ICV, the two-dimensional parameters increased most rapidly in the first year after birth. There was no significant difference in CI between the sexes or among any age groups. ICV calculated from thin-slice 3D CT images was 60% of that obtained from Mackinnon formula. These data will enable us to compare these specific measurements in craniosynostosis patients directly with those of normal children, which will hopefully help in managing these patients.

Craniofacial Measurements: A History of Scientific Racism, Rethinking Anthropometric Norms

ABSTRACT

Craniofacial measurements have been used in attempt to create racial categories. This article discusses the history of this practice and the potential implications this has for patients.

Hydrocephalus: Ventricular Volume Quantification Using Three-Dimensional Brain CT Data and Semiautomatic Three-Dimensional Threshold-Based Segmentation Approach

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the usefulness of the ventricular volume percentage quantified using three-dimensional (3D) brain computed tomography (CT) data for interpreting serial changes in hydrocephalus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Intracranial and ventricular volumes were quantified using the semiautomatic 3D threshold-based segmentation approach for 113 brain CT examinations (age at brain CT examination ≤ 18 years) in 38 patients with hydrocephalus. Changes in ventricular volume percentage were calculated using 75 serial brain CT pairs (time interval 173.6 ± 234.9 days) and compared with the conventional assessment of changes in hydrocephalus (increased, unchanged, or decreased). A cut-off value for the diagnosis of no change in hydrocephalus was calculated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The reproducibility of the volumetric measurements was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient on a subset of 20 brain CT examinations.

RESULTS

Mean intracranial volume, ventricular volume, and ventricular volume percentage were 1284.6 ± 297.1 cm³, 249.0 ± 150.8 cm³, and 19.9 ± 12.8%, respectively. The volumetric measurements were highly reproducible (intraclass correlation coefficient = 1.0). Serial changes (0.8 ± 0.6%) in ventricular volume percentage in the unchanged group (n = 28) were significantly smaller than those in the increased and decreased groups (6.8 ± 4.3% and 5.6 ± 4.2%, respectively; p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively; n = 11 and n = 36, respectively). The ventricular volume percentage was an excellent parameter for evaluating the degree of hydrocephalus (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.975; 95% confidence interval, 0.948-1.000; p < 0.001). With a cut-off value of 2.4%, the diagnosis of unchanged hydrocephalus could be made with 83.0% sensitivity and 100.0% specificity.

CONCLUSION

The ventricular volume percentage quantified using 3D brain CT data is useful for interpreting serial changes in hydrocephalus.

The growth of the neurocranium: literature review and implications in cranial repair

BACKGROUND

Postnatal growth of neurocranium is prevalently completed in the first years of life, thus deeply affecting the clinical presentation and surgical management of pediatric neurosurgical conditions involving the skull. This paper aims to review the pertinent literature on the normal growth of neurocranium and critically discuss the surgical implications of this factor in cranial repair.

METHODS

A search of the electronic database of Pubmed was performed, using the key word "neurocranium growth", thus obtaining 217 results. Forty-six papers dealing with this topic in humans, limited to the English language, were selected. After excluding a few papers dealing with viscerocranium growth or pathological conditions not related to normal neurocranium growth 18 papers were finally included into the present review.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The skull growth is very rapid in the first 2 years of life and approximates the adult volume by 7 years of age, with minimal further growth later on, which is warranted by the remodeling of the cranial bones. This factor affects the outcome of cranioplasty. Thus, it is essential to consider age in the planning phase of cranial repair, choice of the material, and critical comparison of results of different cranioplasty solutions.

Intracranial Volume Post Cranial Expansion Surgery Using Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography Scan Imaging in Children With Craniosynostosis

BACKGROUND

Craniosynostosis is a congenital defect that causes ≥1 suture to fuse prematurely. Cranial expansion surgery which consists of cranial vault reshaping with or without fronto-orbital advancement (FOA) is done to correct the skull to a more normal shape of the head as well as to increase the intracranial volume (ICV). Therefore, it is important to evaluate the changes of ICV after the surgery and the effect of surgery both clinically and radiologically.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the ICV in primary craniosynostosis patients after the cranial vault reshaping with or without FOA and to compare between syndromic and nonsyndromic synostosis group, to determine factors that associated with significant changes in the ICV postoperative, and to evaluate the resolution of copper beaten sign and improvement in neurodevelopmental delay after the surgery.

METHODS

This is a prospective observational study of all primary craniosynostosis patients who underwent operation cranial vault reshaping with or without FOA in Hospital Kuala Lumpur from January 2017 until Jun 2018. The ICV preoperative and postoperative was measured using the 3D computed tomography (CT) imaging and analyzed. The demographic data, clinical and radiological findings were identified and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 14 cases (6 males and 8 females) with 28 3D CT scans were identified. The mean age of patients was 23 months. Seven patients were having syndromic synostosis (4 Crouzon syndromes and 3 Apert syndromes) and 7 nonsyndromic synostosis. The mean preoperative ICV was 880 mL (range, 641-1234 mL), whereas the mean postoperative ICV was 1081 mL (range, 811-1385 mL). The difference was 201 mL which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). In comparison, the mean volume increment for syndromic synostosis and nonsyndromic synostosis was 282 mL and 120 mL, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.004). Three months post-operation, the copper beaten sign was still present in the CT scan which was statistically not significant in this study (P > 1.0). However, there was 100% (n = 13) improvement of this copper beaten sign. However, the neurodevelopmental delay showed no improvement which was statistically not significant (P > 1.0).

CONCLUSION

Surgery in craniosynostosis patient increases the ICV besides it improves the shape of the head. From this study, the syndromic synostosis had better increment of ICV compared to nonsyndromic synostosis.

Multidirectional cranial distraction osteogenesis technique for treating bicoronal synostosis

Fronto-orbital advancement by distraction osteogenesis is a useful means of surgically correcting bicoronal synostosis. However, the scope for morphological revision is limited. To address this issue, we developed a multidirectional cranial distraction osteogenesis (MCDO) technique that we quantitatively assessed in patients with bicoronal synostosis. In this case series, five patients with bicoronal synostosis were treated with MCDO at a mean age of 13.4 months (range 9-22 months). Distraction started 5 days after surgery and the activation period was 11.2 days (range 10-14 days). The distraction devices were removed 47.2 days (range 33-67 days) after completing distraction. Improved cranial shape was confirmed by CT data. Mean preoperative CI, APL, and ICV readings of 102.1%, 13.5 cm, and 1179.4 ml, respectively, had reached 94.0%, 14.9 cm, and 1323.9 ml, respectively, upon device removal. These values were well preserved at 1 year (90.4%, 15.8 cm, and 1461.3 ml, respectively). In conclusion, MCDO successfully enables both cranial expansion and correction of a flat forehead, constituting a valid treatment alternative for patients with bicoronal synostosis.