Hybrid of Distraction Osteogenesis Unilateral Frontal Distraction and Supraorbital Reshaping in Correction of Unilateral Coronal Synostosis

Abstract

Unicoronal synostotic plagiocephaly is routinely treated by intracranial wide frontal and bilateral supraorbital reshaping. Recent advancement of distraction osteogenesis in craniofacial surgery has extended to patients with craniosynostosis. Although a controversy remains between conventional osteotomy and reshaping and application of the distraction technique in surgical treatment of craniosynostosis, there have been several positive clinical reports on distraction techniques for nonsyndromic and syndromic craniosynostosis. Unicoronal distraction applied successfully to a case of frontal plagiocephaly has been described. The authors report a procedure: hybrid of unilateral frontal distraction and supraorbital reshaping on the affected side for frontal synostotic plagiocephaly. This procedure was conducted on four typical unicoronal synostotic plagiocephaly cases (patient age range, 9-14 months; all patients female) with successful results. No particular complications were encountered in any of the four cases with a follow-up period that ranged from 18 to 53 months.