Volumetric quantification of intracranial and ventricular volume following cranial vault remodeling: a preliminary report.

This preliminary study documents preoperative and postoperative changes in cerebral tissue as well as intracranial and ventricular volume in patients who underwent cranial vault remodeling for craniosynostosis. The documentation and calculations were provided from CT data according to a craniofacial protocol. Three-dimensional images were then obtained of the preoperative and postoperative skulls and cerebral tissues. From these data, comparisons of preoperative and postoperative volumes of the cerebral tissue and ventricles could be examined. In one case, a frontal bone advancement combined with anterior cranial vault remodeling was associated with an increase in intracranial volume of 110 cc (8 percent) and a ventricular volume increase of 112 percent. The reported technique should allow more complete evaluation of the preoperative pathology and documentation and prediction of the projected intracranial and ventricular volume changes.