The Evolution of the Role of Imaging in the Diagnosis of Craniosynostosis: A Narrative Review
Giovanni Cacciaguerra,
Monica Palermo,
Lidia Marino,
Filippo Andrea Salvatore Rapisarda,
Piero Pavone,
Raffaele Falsaperla,
Martino Ruggieri,
Silvia Marino
Affiliations
Giovanni Cacciaguerra
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry, Unit of Rare Diseases of the Nervous System in Childhood, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Monica Palermo
Radiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Lidia Marino
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, AOU “Policlinico”, PO “San Marco”, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Filippo Andrea Salvatore Rapisarda
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ARNAS Garibaldi Nesima, 95122 Catania, Italy
Piero Pavone
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry, Unit of Rare Diseases of the Nervous System in Childhood, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Raffaele Falsaperla
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, AOU “Policlinico”, PO “San Marco”, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Martino Ruggieri
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry, Unit of Rare Diseases of the Nervous System in Childhood, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Silvia Marino
Unit of Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency, AOU “Policlinico”, PO “San Marco”, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Craniosynostosis, the premature closure of cranial sutures, is one of the principal causes of pediatric skull deformities. It can cause aesthetic, neurological, acoustic, ophthalmological complications up to real emergencies. Craniosynostosis are primarily diagnosed with accurate physical examination, skull measurement and observation of the deformity, but the radiological support currently plays an increasingly important role in confirming a more precise diagnosis and better planning for therapeutic interventions. The clinician must know how to diagnose in the earliest and least invasive way for the child. In the past, technological limitations reduced the choices; today, however, there are plenty of choices and it is necessary to use the various types of available imaging correctly. In the future, imaging techniques will probably rewrite the common classifications we use today. We provide an updated review of the role of imaging in this condition, through the ages, to outline the correct choice for the clinician for an early and non-invasive diagnosis.
