Craniofacial malformation caused by premature fusion of cranial suture of infants has a serious impact on their growth. The purpose of skull remodeling surgery for infants with craniosynostosis is to expand the skull and allow the brain to grow properly. There are no standardized treatments for skull remodeling surgery at the present, and the postoperative effect can be hardly assessed reasonably. Children with sagittal craniosynostosis were selected as the research objects. By analyzing the morphological characteristics of the patients, the point cloud registration of the skull distortion region with the ideal skull model was performed, and a plan of skull cutting and remodeling surgery was generated. A finite element model of the infant skull was used to predict the growth trend after remodeling surgery. Finally, an experimental study of surgery simulation was carried out with a child with a typical sagittal craniosynostosis. The evaluation results showed that the repositioning and stitching of bone plates effectively improved the morphology of the abnormal parts of the skull and had a normal growth trend. The child’s preoperative cephalic index was 65.31%, and became 71.50% after 9 months’ growth simulation. The simulation of the skull remodeling provides a reference for surgical plan design. The skull remodeling approach significantly improves postoperative effect, and it could be extended to the generation of cutting and remodeling plans and postoperative evaluations for treatment on other types of craniosynostosis.
ObjectiveTo summarize the application and recent development of orthognathic surgery in treating syndromic craniosynostosis. MethodsThe related literature at home and abroad in recent years was extensively reviewed, and the indications, routine procedures, and protocols of orthognathic surgery in the treatment of syndromic craniosynostosis were summarized and analyzed. ResultsCraniosynostosis is a common congenital craniofacial malformation. Syndromic craniosynostosis usually involves premature fusion of multiple cranial sutures and is associated with other deformities. Orthognathic surgery is the necessary and effective means to improve the midfacial hypoplasia and malocclusion. Le Fort I osteotomy combined with sagittal split ramus osteotomy are the common surgical options. Orthognathic surgery should combine with craniofacial surgery and neurosurgery, and a comprehensive long-term evaluation should be conducted to determine the best treatment plan. Conclusion Orthognathic surgery plays an important role in the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of syndromic craniosynostosis. The development of digital technology will further promote the application and development of orthognathic surgery in the treatment of syndromic craniosynostosis.