Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Aug 1;29(4):304-313.
doi: 10.1097/MOO.0000000000000724.

Distraction osteogenesis in craniosynostosis

Henya Sandhaus  1 , Matthew D Johnson
Affiliations
Review

Distraction osteogenesis in craniosynostosis

Henya Sandhaus et al. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: Craniosynostosis, a condition of premature cranial suture fusion, can have significantly detrimental effects on development and growth due to sequelae of increased intracranial hypertension (ICP), exophthalmos, and upper airway obstruction. Evolving surgical treatments now include distraction osteogenesis (DO) due to its many benefits relative to standard cranial vault remodeling procedures. This article provides an overview and update of different surgical applications of DO for patients with craniosynostosis.

Recent findings: DO has been utilized successfully for single and multisuture craniosynostosis with or without midface hypoplasia to increase intracranial volume, decrease ICP and improve aesthetics. It has been applied in single suture synostosis, posterior vault DO, fronto-orbital advancement, monobloc DO and Le Fort III DO. DO has been applied through modification of traditional surgical procedures with success in maintaining goals of surgery while reducing risk.

Summary: DO is still a relatively new and evolving surgical technique for patients with syndromic and nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. With promising benefits, consideration for each procedure should be weighed until longer-term data is available.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Foley MJ, Cottler PS, Blemker SS, et al. Computer simulation and optimization of cranial vault distraction. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 2018; 55:356–361.
    1. Corkum JP, Burke E, Samargandi O, et al. Comparison of distraction osteogenesis and single-stage remodeling for correction of unilateral coronal craniosynostosis. J Craniofac Surg 2019; 30:370–376.
    1. Borgi A, Rodgers W, Schievano S, et al. Proof of concept study for the design, manufacturing, and testing of a patient-specific shape memory device for treatment of unicoronal craniosynostosis. J Craniofac Surg 2018; 29:45–48.
    1. Thatikunta M, Pearson L, Nguyen Candice, et al. Three-dimensional volumetric changes in posterior vault distraction with distraction osteogenesis. J Craniofac Surg 2020; 31:1301–1306.
    1. Al-Namnam NMN, Hariri F, Rahman ZAA. Distraction osteogenesis in the surgical management of syndromic craniosynostosis: a comprehensive review of published papers. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2018; 56:353–366.

LinkOut - more resources