Published in Pediatric Neurosurgery (2011 volume, published online in 2012), this study by Jordan Deschamps-Braly, Patrick Hettinger, Christian el Amm, and Arlen D. Denny measured how much cranial vault distraction, a technique that gradually expands the skull, increases the space inside the skull in children with symptomatic cephalocranial disproportion, a condition in which the skull is too small for the brain.
The authors analyzed before-and-after CT scans of 11 consecutive patients using specialized software. Intracranial volume increased by an average of about 77 milliliters, and all measured volume changes were statistically significant. The authors also found that the brain’s ventricles expanded after distraction. This research was conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where Dr. Deschamps-Braly completed his craniofacial fellowship.
Source: Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2011
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