Aim: Occurrence of secondary coronal synostosis (SCS) and its functional consequences were retrospectively analyzed in sagittal synostosis.
Patients and methods: Occurrence of SCS and/or fingerprinting and clinical signs of raised intracranial pressure were investigated in children with scaphocephaly with a minimum follow-up of 3 years. Children were divided in 4 groups according to surgery (group 1: "H" craniectomy [193 patients]; group 2: craniectomies with removal of the coronal sutures [24 children]; group 3:"H" craniectomies and flap transpositions without total removal of the coronal suture [36 patients]; and group 4: 253 nonsurgical patients with scaphocephaly).
Results: Among group 1, 20 (10.4%) developed SCS (3 mo to 6 y postoperatively). Fingerprinting was generalized in 13 patients, localized in 5, and absent in 2. Headaches were present in 8 patients. Papilledema appeared during follow-up in 2 of them. Intracranial pressure that was first recorded as normal became elevated, and they both required a surgical decompression. In group 2, none developed an SCS. In group 3, 11% developed SCS. In group 4, 1.2% nonsurgical patients with scaphocephaly presented with an SCS. However, group 4 corresponds to less severe morphologic deformation and/or parents refusing surgery.
Conclusions: Secondary coronal synostosis appears to occur with an approximate 10% incidence after craniectomies not involving the coronal sutures, with 1% requiring surgical decompression. Patients with milder forms of scaphocephaly who were not operated on (1.2%) rarely developed an SCS. Long-term follow-up should be undertaken even in the milder forms for possible recurrence of secondary synostosis.