Investigation of the Effffect of Cranial Vault Surgery On Parenchymal Perfusion Before and After Surgery in Craniosynostosis Patients

Objective: In our study, it is aimed to examine the effect of surgery on brain perfusion with ASL sequence perfusion MRI taken before surgery and 12 weeks after surgery in cases of non-syndromic craniosynostosis treated in our clinic. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between 28.12.2021-16.09.2022 with 10 patients who evaluated preoperatively and treated surgically at the Neurosurgery Clinic of Ankara City Hospital. Perfusion MRI was performed preoperatively and 12 weeks postoperatively. The preoperative and postoperative images obtained were evaluated comparatively at the workstation. Results: After the exclusion of patients who did not appropriate the study criteria, the results of 9 patients were examined. MRI scans taken preoperatively and 87 days as average postoperatively. After surgery, there is perfusion enhancement in 7 patients and a perfusion impairment in 2 patients. About the average perfusion rates, the results were found to be statistically significant in four of the seven patients in whom an increase was detected (p≤0.05), while the results were found to be statistically significant in one of the patients in whom a decrease was observed. (p≤0.05) Conclusion: Surgical treatment is effective on brain perfusion in patients with non-syndromic craniosynostosis. Perfusion alteration may be different according to surgical technique, patient age at the time of surgery and type of craniosynostosis. In addition to cosmetic improvement, surgical treatment can also be effective in changing neurological functions. ASL sequence perfusion MRI, which doesn’t require contrast and is non-invasive, is a successful method of demonstrating the quantitative effectiveness of surgery in patients with craniosynostosis.