Cranioscoliosis

Abstract

We have identified a particular facial asymmetry with unique characteristics that we call cranioscoliosis. Cranioscoliosis is a condition in which there is an apparent curvature of the midline of the cranial skeleton, cranial base, and facial skeleton when viewed in the axial plane. Cranioscoliosis is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is differentiated from the craniosynostoses by an absence of fused calvarial vault sutures. We recently developed a new technique, called cranial expansion, that involves interdigitating cuts in the calvaria which are subsequently expanded. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 13 patients identified as having this condition, of whom 7 were surgically treated. Our results seem to indicate that cranioscoliosis involves an inherent growth disturbance that does not appear to be corrected through any early surgical release.