Sinonasal Anatomical Analysis in Nonsyndromic Bilateral Coronal Suture Craniosynostosis Using Computerized Tomography

Background: Craniosynostosis is a deformity of the skull associated with the premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures. In children with syndromic craniosynostosis, anomalies related to the cranial base and midface contribute to midface hypoplasia, affecting the diameter of the axial facial concavity. Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis, especially bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis, may result in abnormal facial proportions and affect sinonasal anatomy. Objectives: The aim of our study was to determine and analyze morphometric measurement values in the sinonasal cavity of patients with nonsyndromic bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 91 children, aged 0 - 10 years, who underwent computed tomography (CT) at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from January 2010 to November 2022, including 21 children with nonsyndromic bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis and 70 in the control group. The following diameters were measured: anterior bony width (ABW), bony choanal aperture width (BCAW), right posterior bony width (RPBW), and left posterior bony width (LPBW). The study group was further divided into four age groups. Results: The BCAW, RPBW, and LPBW of the nasal cavity in patients with bilateral coronal suture craniosynostosis, aged 0 - 12 months, were significantly lower compared to the control group. Additionally, the RPBW and LPBW in the study group, aged more than 72 months, were also significantly lower. All measurements are not dependent on children’s sex. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that children with nonsyndromic bilateral coronal craniosynostosis exhibited lower diameters of the bony choanal aperture compared to healthy children.