OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to evaluate the effort of applying frontal and occipital bones in extensive cranioplasty and preserving multiple cranial bone flaps adhered to the dura mater in the treatment of sagittal synostosis.

METHODSFrom April 2008 to June 2013, sixty-three children with sagittal synostosis, aged 5 months to 3 years, were included in the study. The frontal bone flap was removed using an air drill. The occipital and bilateral temporal bone flaps were cut open but not detached from the dura mater or fixed to produce floating bone flaps. The skull bone was cut into palisade-like structures. Brain compression from both sides and the base of the skull was released and the brain expanded bilaterally through the enlarged space. Only a long strip-shaped bone bridge remained in the central parietal bone. Subsequently, the frontal bone flaps and occipital bone flap were pushed towards the midline and fixed with the parietal bone bridge to shorten the anteroposterior diameter of the cranial cavity and allow the brain to expand bilaterally to correct scaphocephaly. The CT images showed that both sides of the parietal bone of artificial sagittal groove gradually merged postoperative 1 year, and skull almost completely normal healing after operation 2 or 3 years, without deformity recurrence within 5 years. Among them all, 61 children's intelligence is normal and 2 children's lagged behind normal level, no further improvement.

RESULTSPatients were followed up 1 - 5 years (an average of 43 months). Skull growth was excellent in all patients, the anteroposterior diameter was shortened by 14.6 mm averagely, the transverse diameter was increased by 12.3 mm averagely, the prominent forehead was corrected, and scaphocephaly improved significantly. There were no complications such as death and skull necrosis.

CONCLUSIONSThe application of frontal and occipital bones in extensive cranioplasty and preserving multiple cranial bone flaps adhered to the dura mater can be used in the treatment of sagittal synostosis. Surgery without removing bone flaps is less traumatic and results in no massive bleeding. It can effectively relieve brain compression and promotes transversal expansion of the brain during surgery and subsequent normal brain development.